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Harry  saves  the  Girls  from  the  Mad  Doc— Page  31. 
Reign  of  T.] 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF. TERROR. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  WESTMINSTER  BOY. 


By   G.  A.  HENTY, 


Author  of  "Bonnie  Prince  Charlie,"  "With  Clive  in  India"  "The  Dragon  and 

the  Raven"  "The  Young  Carthaginian  ,"  "The  Lion  of the  North ," 

"With  Lee  in  Virginia"  "By  Pike  and  Dyke,"  "Under 

Drake's  Flag,"    "By  England's  Aid"    "In 

Freedom's  Cause,"  "Captain 

Bagley's  Heir"  etc. 


DONOHUK  BROTHERS 

CHICAGO — NEW  YORK 


PREFACE. 

My  Dear  Lads:  This  time  only  a  few  words  are 
needed,  for  the  story  speaks  for  itself.  My  object  has 
been  rather  to  tell  you  a  tale  of  interest  than  to  impart 
historical  knowledge,  for  the  facts  of  the  dreadful  time 
when  "the  terror"  reigned  supreme  in  France  are  well 
known  to  all  educated  lads.  I  need  only  say  that  such 
historical  allusions  as  are  necessary  for  the  sequence  of 
the  story  will  be  found  correct,  except  that  the  Noyades 
at  Nantes  did  not  take  place  until  a  somewhat  later 
period  than  is  here  assigned  to  them. 

Yours  sincerely, 

G.  A.  Henty. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I.  page 

A  Journey  to  France 1 

CHAPTER    II. 
A  Mad  Dog 20 

CHAPTER    III. 
The  Demon  Wolf 38 

CHAPTER    IV. 
The  Clouds  Gather 57 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Outburst 73 

CHAPTER    VI. 
The  Anxious  Time 91 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Second  of  September 112 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
Marie  Arrested 130 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Robespierre 149 

CHAPTER  X. 
Free 168 

CHAPTER  XL 
Marie  and  Victor 194 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII.  pagb 

Nantes 216 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
In  the  Hands  of  the  Reds , 234 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Noyades 256 

'     CHAPTER  XV. 
England „.  276 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   JOURNEY   TO    FRANCE. 

"I  don't  know  what  to  say,  my  dear." 

""Why,  surely,  James,  you  are  not  thinking  for  a 
moment  oNetting  him  go?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know.  Yes,  I  am  certainly  thinking  of 
it,  though  I  haven't  at  all  made  up  my  mind.  There 
are  advantages  and  disadvantages." 

"Oh,  but  it  is  such  a  long  way,  and  to  live  among 
those  French  people,  who  have  been  doing  such  dreadful 
things,  attacking  the  Bastile,  and,  as  I  have  heard  you 
say,  passing  all  sorts  of  revolutionary  laws,  and  holding 
their  king  and  queen  almost  as  prisoners  in  Paris!" 

"Well,  they  won't  eat  him,  my  dear.  The  French 
Assembly,  or  the  National  Assembly,  or  whatever  it 
ought  to  be  called,  has  certainly  been  passing  laws  limit 
ing  the  power  of  the  king  and  abolishing  many  of  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  the  nobility  and  clergy ;  but  you 
must  remember  that  the  condition  of  the  vast  body  of 
the  French  nation  has  been  terrible.  We  have  long  con- 
quered our  liberties,  and,  indeed,  never  even  in  the  height 
of  the  feudal  sj-stem  were  the  mass  of  the  English  people 
more  enslaved  than  have  been  the  peasants  of  France. 

"We  must  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  if  in  their  newly 
recovered  freedom  they  push  matters  to  an  excess  at  first ; 


2  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

but  all  this  will  right  itself,  and  no  doubt  a  constitutional 
form  of  government,  somewhat  similar  to  our  own,  will 
be  established.  But  all  this  is  no  reason  against  Harry's 
going  out  there.  You  don't  suppose  that  the  French 
people  are  going  to  fly  at  the  throats  of  the  nobility. 
Why,  even  in  the  heat  of  the  civil  war  here  there  was  no 
instance  of  any  personal  wrong  being  done  to  the  families 
of  those  engaged  in  the  struggle,  and  in  only  two  or 
three  cases,  after  repeated  risings,  were  any  even  of  the 
leaders  executed. 

"No;  Harry  will  be  just  as  safe  there  as  he  would  be 
here.  As  to  the  distance,  it's  nothing  like  so  far  as  if  he 
went  to  India,  for  example.  I  don't  see  any  great 
chance  of  his  setting  the  Thames  on  fire  at  home.  His 
school  report  is  always  the  same — 'Conduct  fair;  progress 
in  study  moderate' — which  means,  as  I  'take  it,  that  he 
just  scrapes  along.     That's  it,  isn't  it,  Harry?" 

"Yes,  father,  I  think  so.  You  see  everyone  cannot  be 
at  the  top  of  the  form." 

"That's  a  very  true  observation,  my  boy.  It  is  clear 
that  if  there  are  twenty  boys  in  a  class,  nineteen  fathers 
have  to  be  disappointed.  Still,  of  course,  one  would  like 
to  be  the  father  who  is  not  disappointed." 

"I  stick  to  my  work,"  the  boy  said;  "but  there  are 
always  fellows  who  seem  to  know  just  the  right  words 
without  taking  any  trouble  about  it.  It  comes  to  them, 
I  suppose." 

""What  do  you  say  to  this  idea  yourself,  Harry?" 

"I  don't  know,  sir,"  the  boy  said  doubtfully. 

"And  I  don't  know,"  his  father  agreed.  "At  any 
rate  we  will  sleep  upon  it.  I  am  clear  that  the  offer  is 
not  to  be  lightly  rejected." 

Dr.  Sandwith  was  a  doctor  in  Chelsea.  Chelsea  in  the 
year  1790  was  a  very  different  place  to   Chelsea  of  the 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  3 

present  day.  It  was  a  pretty  suburban  hamlet,  and  was 
indeed  a  very  fashionable  quarter.  Here  many  of  the 
nobility  and  personages  connected  with  the  court  had 
their  houses,  and  broad  country  fields  and  lanes  separated 
it  from  the  stir  and  din  of  London.  Dr.  Sandwith  had 
a  good  practice,  but  he  had  also  a  large  family.  Harry 
was  at  Westminster,  going  backward  and  forward  across 
the  fields  to  school.  So  far  he  had  evinced  no  predilec- 
tion for  any  special  career.  He  was  a  sturdy,  well-built 
lad  of  some  sixteen  years  old.  He  was,  as  his  father  said, 
not  likely  to  set  the  Thames  on  fire  in  any  way.  He  was 
as  undistinguished  in  the  various  sports  popular  among 
boys  in  those  days  as  he  was  in  his  lessons.  He  was  as 
good  as  the  average,  but  no  better;  had  fought  some 
tough  fights  with  boys  of  his  own  age,  and  had  shown 
endurance  rather  than  brilliancy. 

In  the  ordinary  course  of  things  he  would  probably  in 
three  or  four  years'  time  have  chosen  some  profession; 
and,  indeed,  his  father  had  already  settled  in  his  mind 
that  as  Harry  was  not  likely  to  make  any  great  figure  in 
life  in  the  way  of  intellectual  capacity,  the  best  thing 
would  be  to  obtain  for  him  a  commission  in  his  majesty 
service,  as  to  which,  with  the  doctor's  connection  among 
people  of  influence,  there  would  not  be  any  difficulty. 
He  had,  however,  said  nothing  as  yet  to  the  boy  on  the 
subject. 

The  fact  that  Harry  had  three  younger  brothers  and 
four  sisters,  and  that  Dr.  Sandwith,  who  was  obliged  to 
keep  up  a  good  position,  sometimes  found  it  difficult  to 
meet  his  various  expenses,  made  him  perhaps  more  in- 
clined to  view  favorably  the  offer  he  had  that  morning 
received  than  would  otherwise  have  been  the  case.  Two 
years  before  he  had  attended  professionally  a  young 
French  nobleman  attached  to  the  embassy.     It  was  from 


4  EST-  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

him  that  the  letter  which  had  been  the  subject  of   con- 
versation had  been  received.     It  ran  as  follows : 

"Dear  Dr.  Sandwith:  Since  my  return  from  Paris  I 
have  frequently  spoken  to  my  brother,  the  Marquis  of  St. 
Caux,  respecting  the  difference  of  education  between 
your  English  boys  and  our  own.  Nothing  struck  me 
more  when  I  was  in  London  than  your  great  schools. 
With  us  the  children  of  good  families  are  almost  always 
brought  up  at  home.  They  learn  to  dance  and  to  fence, 
but  have  no  other  exercise  for  their  limbs,  and  they  lack 
the  air  of  manly  independence  whi^h  struck  me  in  Eng- 
lish boys.  They  are  more  gentil — I  do  not  know  the 
word  in  your  language  which  expresses  it — they  carry 
themselves  better,  they  are  not  so  rough ;  they  are  more 
polite.  There  are  advantages  in  both  systems,  but  for 
myself  I  like  yours  much  the  best.  My  brother  is,  to 
some  extent,  a  convert  to  my  view.  There  are  no  such 
schools  to  which  he  could  send  his  sons  in  France,  for 
what  large  schools  we  have  are  under  the  management  of 
the  Fathers,  and  the  boys  have  none  of  that  freedom  which 
is  the  distinguishing  point  of  the  English  system  of  edu- 
cation. Even  if  there  were  such  schools,  I  am  sure  that 
madame  my  sister-in-law  would  never  hear  of  her  sons 
being  sent  there. 

"Since  this  is  so,  the  marquis  has  concluded  that  the 
best  thing  would  be  to  have  an  English  boy  of  good 
family  as  their  companion.  He  would,  of  course,  study 
with  them  under  their  masters.  He  would  play  and  ride 
with  them,  and  would  be  treated  as  one  of  themselves. 
They  would  learn  something  of  English  from  him,  which 
would  be  useful  if  they  adopt  the  diplomatic  profession. 
He  would  learn  French,  which  might  also  be  useful  to 
him ;  but  of  course  the  great  point  which  my  brother 
desires  is  that  his  sons  should  acquire  something  of  the 
manly  independence  of  thought  and  action  which  dis- 
tinguishes English  boys. 

"Having  arranged  this  much,  I  thought  of  you.  I 
know  that  you  have  several  sons.  If  you  have  one  of 
from  fourteen  to  sixteen  years,  and  you  would  like  him 
to  take  such  a  position  for  two  or  three  years,  I  should 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  fc 

be  glad  indeed  to  secure  such  a  companion  for  my 
nephews.  If  not,  would  you  do  me  the  favor  of  looking 
round  among  your  acquaintances  and  find  us  a  lad  such 
as  we  need.  He  must  be  a  gentleman  and  a  fair  type  of 
the  boy  we  are  speaking  of.  I  may  say  that  my  brother 
authorizes  me  to  offer  in  his  name,  in  addition  to  all  ex- 
penses, two  thousand  francs  a  year  to  the  young  gentle- 
man who  will  thus  benefit  his  sons.  I  do  not  think  that 
the  political  excitement  which  is  agitating  Paris  need  be 
taken  into  consideration.  Now  that  great  concessions 
have  been  made  to  the  representatives  of  the  nation,  it  is 
not  at  all  probable  that  there  will  be  any  recurrence  of 
such  popular  tumults  as  that  which  brought  about  the 
capture  of  the  Bastile.  But  in  anj'-  case  this  need  not 
weigh  in  the  decision,  as  my  brother  resides  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  in  his  chateau  near  Dijon  in  Bur- 
gundy, far  removed  from  the  troubles  in  the  capital. ' ' 

The  more  Dr.  Sandwith  thought  over  the  matter  the 
more  he  liked  it.  There  were  comparatively  few  Eng- 
lishmen in  those  days  who  spoke  the  French  language. 
It  was,  indeed,  considered  part  of  the  education  of  a 
young  man  of  good  family  to  make  what  was  called  the 
grand  tour  of  Europe  under  the  charge  of  a  tutor,  after 
leaving  the  university.  But  these  formed  a  very  small 
proportion  of  society,  and,  indeed,  the  frequent  wars 
which  had,  since  the  Stuarts  lost  the  throne  of  England, 
occurred  between  the  two  countries  had  greatly  inter- 
fered with  continental  travel. 

Even  now  the  subjects  of  France  and  -England  were 
engaged  in  a  desperate  struggle  in  India,  although  there 
was  peace  between  the  courts  of  Versailles  and  St.  James. 
A  knowledge  of  the  French  language  then  would  be 
likely  to  be  of  great  utility  to  Harry  if  he  entered  the 
army ;  his  expenses  at  Westminster  would  be  saved,  and 
the  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds  which  he  would  ac- 
quire  during   his   three  years'  stay  in  France  would  be 


6  ZZV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

very  useful  to  him  on  his  first  start  in  life.  After  break- 
fast next  mornng  Dr.  Sandwith  asked  [Harry  to  take  a 
turn  in  the  garden  with  him,  for  the  Lholidays  had  just 
begun. 

"What  do  you  think  of  this,  Harry?" 

"I  have  not  thought  much  about  it  one  way  or  the 
other,  sir,"  Harry  said,  looking  up  with  a  smile.  "It 
seemed  to  me  better  that  you  should  do  the  thinking  for 
both  of  us." 

"I  might  perhaps  be  better  able  to  judge  whether  it 
would  be  advantageous  or  otherwise  for  [you  to  accept 
the  offer,  but  you  must  be  the  best  judge  as  to  whether 
you  would  like  to  accept  it  or  not. ' ' 

"I  can't  quite  make  up  my  mind  as  to  that,  sir.  I 
like  school  very  much  and  Hike  being  at  home.  I  don't 
want  to  learn  Frenchified  ways,  nor  to  eat  frogs  and 
snails  and  all  sorts  of  nastiness ;  still,  it  would  be  fun 
going  to  a  place  so  different  to  England,  and  hearing  no 
English  spoken,  and  learning  all  their  rum  ways,  and 
getting  to  jabber  French." 

"It  might  be  very  useful  to  you  in  the  army,  Harry," 
and  then  the  doctor  stopped  suddenly. 

"The  army?"  Harry  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  astonished 
delight.  "Oh,  sir,  do  you  really  think  of  my  going  into 
the  army?  You  never  said  a  word  about  that  before. 
I  should  like  that  immensely." 

"That  slipped  out,  Harry,  for  I  did  not  mean  to  say 
anything  about  it  until  you  had  left  school ;  still,  if  you 
go  to  France  I  do  not  know  why  you  should  not  keep 
that  before  you.  I  don't  think  the  army  is  a  very  good 
profession,  but  you  do  not  seem  to  have  any  marked 
talent  for  anything  else.  You  don't  like  the  idea  of 
medicine  or  the  church,  and  you  were  almost  heartbroken 
when  I  wanted  you  to  accept  the   offer  of  your  Uncle 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  7 

John  of  a  seat  in  his  counting-house.  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  army  would  suit  you  better  than  anything  else, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  could  get  you  a  commission. 
Now,  whenever  we  fight,  France  is  sure  to  be  on  the  other 
side,  and  I  think  that  it  would  be  of  great  advantage  to 
you  to  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  French — a  thing 
which  very  few  officers  in  our  army  possess.  If  you  ac- 
cept this  offer  you  will  have  the  opportunity  of  attaining 
this,  and  at  the  same  time  of  earning  a  nice  little  sum, 
which  would  pay  for  your  outfit  and  supply  you  with 
pocket-money  for  some  time. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir,  it  would  be  first  rate!"  Harry  exclaimed 
excitedly.  "Oh,  please,  accept  the  offer;  I  should  like 
it  of  all  things ;  and  even  if  I  do  get  ever  so  skinny  on 
frogs  and  thin  soup,  I  can  get  fat  on  roast  beef  again 
when  I  get  back." 

"That  is  all  nonsense,  Harry,  about  frogs  and  starving. 
The  French  style  of  cookery  differs  from  ours,  but  they 
eat  just  as  much,  and  although  they  may  not,  as  a  rule, 
be  as  broad  and  heavy  as  Englishmen,  that  is  simply  a 
characteristic  of  race;  the  Latin  peoples  are  of  slighter 
build  than  the  Teutonic.  As  to  their  food,  you  know 
that  the  Romans,  who  were  certainly  judges  of  good 
living,  considered  the  snail  a  great  luxury,  and  I  dare 
say  ate  frogs  too.  A  gentleman  who  had  made  the  grand 
tour  told  me  that  he  had  tasted  them  in  Paris  and  found 
them  very  delicate  eating.  You  may  not  like  the  living 
quite  at  first,  but  you  will  soon  get  over  that,  and  once 
accustomed  to  it  you  will  like  it  quite  as  well  as  our  solid 
joints.  My  principal  objection  to  your  going  lies  quite 
in  another  direction.  Public  opinion  in  France  is  much 
disturbed.  In  the  National  Assembly,  which  is  the  same 
as  our  Parliament,  there  is  a  great  spirit  of  resistance  to 
the  royal   authority,   something  like   a  revolution  has 


8  IF  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

already  been  accomplished,  and  the  king  is  little  more 
than  a  prisoner." 

"But  that  would  surely  make  no  difference  to  me,  sir!" 
"No,  Hdon't  see  that  it  should,    Harry.       Still,    it 
would  cause  your  mother  a  good  deal  of  anxiety." 

"I  don't  see  it  could  make  any  difference,"  Harry  re- 
peated; "and  you  see,  sir,  when  I  go  into  the  army  and 
there  is  war,  mother  would  be  a  great  deal  more  anxious. " 
"You  mean,  Harry,"  the  doctor  said  with  a  smile, 
"that  whether  her  anxiety  begins  a  little  sooner  or  later 
does  not  make  much  difference." 

"I  don't  think  I  quite  meant  that,  sir,"  Harry  said; 
"but  yes,"  he  added  frankly,  after  a  moment's  thought, 
"I  suppose  I  did;  but  I  really  don't  see  that  supposing 
there  were  any  troubles  in  France  it  could  possibly  make 
any  difference  to  me ;  even  if  there  were  a  civil  war,  such 
as  we  had  in  England,  they  would  not  interfere  with 
boys." 

"No,  J, don't  see  that   it   would  make   any   difference, 
and  the  chance  is  so  remote  that  it  need  not  influence  our 
decision.     Of  course  if  war  broke  out  between  the  two 
countries  the  marquis  would  see  that  you  were  sent  back 
safely.     Well,  then,  Harry,  I  am  to  consider  that  your 
decision  is  in  favor  of  your  accepting  this  appointment." 
"If  you  please,  sir.     I  am   sure   it   will   be   a  capital 
thing  for  me,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  will   be  great  fun. 
Of  course  at  first  it  will  be  strange  to  hear  them  all  jab- 
bering in  French,  but  I  suppose  I  shall  soon  pick  it  up." 
And  so  Mrs.  Sandwith  was  informed  by  her  husband 
that  after  talking  it  over  with  Harry  he  had  concluded 
that  the  proposed  arrangement  would  really  be  an  ex- 
cellent one,  and  that  it  would  be  a  great  pity  to  let  such 
an  opportunity  slip. 
The  good  lady  was  for  a  time  tearful  in  her  forebod- 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TEBBOR.  9 

ings  that  Harry  would  be  starved,  for  in  those  days  it 
was  a  matter  of  national  opinion  that  our  neighbors 
across  the  Channel  fed  on  the  most  meager  of  diet ;  but 
she  was  not  in  the  habit  of  disputing  her  husband's  will, 
and  when  the  letter  of  acceptance  had  been  sent  off,  she 
busied  herself  in  preparing  Harry's  clothes  for  his  long 
absence. 

"He  ought  to  be  measured  for  several  suits,  my  dear," 
she  said  to  her  husband,  "made  bigger  and  bigger  to 
allow  for  his  growing. ' ' 

"Nonsense,  my  dear!  You  do  not  suppose  that  clothes 
cannot  be  purchased  in  France!  Give  him  plenty  of 
underlinen,  but  the  fewer  jackets  and  trousers  he  takes 
over  the  better;  it  will  be  much  better  for  him  to  get 
clothes  out  there  of  the  same  fashion  as  other  people;  the 
boy  will  not  want  to  be  stared  at  wherever  he  goes.  The 
best  rule  is  always  to  dress  like  people  round  you.  I 
shall  give  him  money,  and  directly  he  gets  there  he  can 
get  a  suit  or  two  made  by  the  tailor  who  makes  for  the 
lads  he  is  going  to  be  with.  The  English  Ifce  no  more 
loved  in  France  than  the  French  are  here,  and  though 
Harry  has  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  his  nationality 
there  is  no  occasion  for  him  to  draw  the  attention  of  every- 
one he  meets  to  it  by  going  about  in  a  dress  which  would 
seem  to  them  peculiar." 

In  due  time  a  letter  was  received  from  Count  Auguste 
de  St.  Caux,  stating  that  the  marquis  had  requested  him 
to  write  and  say  that  he  was  much  gratified  to  hear  that 
one  of  the  doctor's  own  sons  was  coming  over  to  be  a 
companion  and  friend  to  his  boys,  and  that  he  was  send- 
ing off  in  the  course  of  two  days  a  gentleman  of  his  house- 
hold to  Calais  to  meet  him  and.,  conduct  him  to  Paris. 
On  young  Mr.  Sandwith's  arrival  at  Calais  he  was  to  go 
at  once  to  the  Hotel  Lion  d'Or  and  ask  for  M.  du  Tillet. 


10  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

During  the  intervening  time  Harry  had  been  very- 
busy,  he  had  to  say  good-by  to  all  his  friends,  who 
looked,  some  with  envy,  some  with  pity,  upon  him,  for 
the  idea  of  a  three  years'  residence  in  France  was  a  novel 
one  to  all.  He  was  petted  and  made  much  of  at  home, 
especially  by  his  sisters,  who  regarded  him  in  the  light 
of  a  hero  about  to  undertake  a  strange  and  hazardous 
adventure. 

Three  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  letter  of  the  marquis 
Dr.  Sandwith  and  Harry  started  by  stage  for  Dover,  and 
the  doctor  put  his  son  on  board  the  packet  sailing  for 
Calais.  The  evening  before  he  gave  him  much  good  ad- 
vice as  to  his  behavior. 

"You  will  see  much  that  is  new,  and  perhaps  a  good 
deal  that  you  don't  like,  Harry,  but  it  is  better  for  you 
never  to  criticize  or  give  a  hostile  opinion  about  things; 
you  would  not  like  it  if  a  French  boy  came  over  here  and 
made  unpleasant  remarks  about  English  ways  and  man- 
ners. Take  things  as  they  come  and  do  as  others  do ; 
avoid  all  comparisons  between  French  and  English  cus- 
toms; fall  in  with  the  ways  of  those  around  you;  and 
adopt  as  far  as  you  can  the  polite  and  courteous  manner 
which  is  general  among  the  French,  and  in  which,  I 
must  say,  they  are  far  ahead  of  us.  If  questioned,  you 
will,  of  course,  give  you  opinion  frankly  and  modestly; 
it  is  the  independence  of  thought  among  English  boys 
which  has  attracted  the  attention  and  approval  of  Auguste 
de  St.  Caux. 

"Be  natural  and  simple,  giving  yourself  no  airs,  and 
permitting  none  on  the  part  of  the  lads  you  are  with; 
their  father  says  you  are  to  be  treated  as  their  equal. 
But,  upon  the  other  hand,  do  not  be  ever  on  the  lookout 
for  small  slights,  and  bear  with  perfect  good  temper  any 
little  ridicule  your,  to  them  foreign,  ways  and  manners 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  11 

may  excite.  I  need  not  tell  you  to  be  always  straight- 
forward, honest,  and  true,  for  of  those  qualities  I  think 
you  possess  a  fair  share.  Above  all  things  restrain  any 
tendency  to  use  your  fists;  fighting  comes  naturally  to 
English  boys,  but  in  France  it  is  considered  as  brutal  and 
degrading — a  blow  is  a  deadly  insult,  and  would  never 
be  forgiven. 

"So,  whatever  the  provocation,  abstain  from  striking 
any  one.  Should  you  find  that  in  any  way  your  position 
is  made  intolerable,  you  will  of  course  appeal  to  the  mar- 
quis, and  unless  you  obtain  redress  you  will  come  home 
— you  will  find  no  difficulty  in  traveling  when  you  once 
understand  the  language — but  avoid  anything  like  petty 
complaints.  I  trust  there  will  be  no  reason  for  com- 
plaints at  all,  and  that  you  will  find  your  position  an  ex- 
ceedingly pleasant  one  as  soon  as  you  become  accustomed 
to  it;  but  should  occasion  arise  bear  my  words  in  mind. " 

Harry  promised  to  follow  his  father's  advice  implicitly, 
but  in  his  own  mind  he  wondered  what  fellows  did  when 
they  quarreled  if  they  were  not  allowed  to  fight;  how- 
ever, he  supposed  that  he  should,  under  the  circum- 
stances, do  the  same  as  French  boys,  whatever  that  might 
be. 

As  soon  as  the  packet  was  once  fairly  beyond  the  har- 
bor Harry's  thoughts  were  effectually  diverted  from  all 
other  matters  by  the  motion  of  the  sailing  boat,  and  he 
was  soon  in  a  state  of  prostration,  in  which  he  remained 
until,  seven  hours  later,  the  packet  entered  Calais  harbor. 

Dr.  Sandwith  had  requested  the  captain  to  allow  one  of 
his  men  to  show  Harry  the  way  to  the  Lion  d'Or.  Harry 
had  pulled  himself  together  a  little  as  the  vessel  entered 
the  still  water  in  the  harbor,  and  was  staring  at  the  men 
in  their  blue  blouses  and  wooden  shoes,  at  the  women  in 
their  quaint  and  picturesque  attire,  when  a  sailor  touched 
him  on  the  shoulder. 


12  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Now,  young  sir,  the  captain  tells  me  I  am  to  show 
you  the  way  to  your  hotel.     Which  is  your  box?" 

Harry  pointed  out  his  trunk;  the  sailor  threw  it  on  his 
shoulder,  and  Harry,  with  a  feeling  of  bewilderment, 
followed  him  along  the  gangway  to  the  shore.  Here  he 
was  accosted  by  an  officer. 

"What  does  he  say?"  he  asked  the  sailor. 

"He  asks  for  your  passport." 

Harry  fumbled  in  his  breast  pocket  for  the  document 
which  his  father  had  obtained  for  him  from  the  foreign 
office,  duly  viseed  by  the  French  ambassador,  notifying 
that  Henry  Sandwith,  aged  sixteen,  height  five  feet  eight, 
hair  brown,  eyes  gray,  nose  short,  mouth  large,  was  about 
to  reside  in  France  in  the  family  of  the  Marquis  de  St. 
Caux.  The  officer  glanced  it  over,  and  then  returned  it 
to  Harry  with  a  polite  bow,  which  Harry  in  some  con- 
fusion endeavored  to  imitate. 

"What  does  the  fellow  want  to  bow  and  scrape  like  that 
for?"  he  muttered  to  himself  as  he  followed  his  guide. 
"An  Englishman  would  just  have  nodded  and  said  'All 
right!'  What  can  a  fellow  want  more,  I  should  like  to 
know?  Well,  I  suppose  I  shall  get  accustomed  to  it,  and 
shall  take  to  bowing  and  scraping  as  a  matter  of  course." 

The  Lion  d'Or  was  close  at  hand.  In  reply  to  the 
sailor's  question  the  landlord  said  that  M.  du  Tillet  was 
within.  The  sailor  put  down  the  trunk,  poeketed  the 
coin  Harry  gave  him,  and  with  a  "Good  luck,  young 
master!"  went  out,  taking  with  him,  as  Harry  felt,  the 
last  link  to  England.  He  turned  and  followed  the  land- 
lord. The  latter  mounted  a  flight  of  stairs,  knocked  at  a 
door,  and  opened  it. 

"A  young  gentleman  desires  to  see  M.  du  Tillet,"  he 
said,  and  Harry  entered. 

A  tall,  big  man,  whose  proportions  at  once  disappointed 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  13v 

Harry's  preconceived  notions  as  to  the  smallness  and 
leanness  of  Frenchmen,  rose  from  the  table  at  which  he 
was  writing. 

"Monsieur— Sandwith?"  he  said  interrogatively;  "I 
am  glad  to  see  you." 

Harry  did  not  understand  the  latter  portion  of  the  re- 
mark, but  he  caught  the  sound  of  his  name. 

"That's  all  right,"  he  said  nodding.  "How  do  you 
do,  M.  du  Tillet?" 

The  French  gentleman  bowed ;  Harry  bowed ;  and  then 
they  looked  at  each  other.  There  was  nothing  more  to 
say.  A  smile  stole  over  Harry's  face,  and  broke  into  a 
frank  laugh.  The  Frenchman  smiled,  put  his  hand  on 
Harry's  shoulder,  and  said: 

"Brave  garcon!"  and  Harry  felt  they  were  friends. 

M.  du  Tillet's  face  bore  an  expression  of  easy  good 
temper.  He  wore  a  wig  with  long  curls;  he  had  a  sol- 
dier's bearing,  and  a  scar  on  his  left  cheek;  his  com- 
plexion was  dark  and  red,  his  eyebrows  black  and  bushy. 
After  a  pause  he  said  : 

"Are  you  hungry?"  and  then  put  imaginary  food  to 
his  mouth. 

"You  mean  will  I  eat  anything?"  Harry  translated. 
"Yes,  that  I  will  if  there's  anything  fit  to  eat.  I  begin 
to  feel  as  hungry  as  a  hunter,  and  no  wonder,  for  I  am 
as  hollow  as  a  drum!" 

His  nod  was  a  sufficient  answer.  M.  du  Tillet  took  his 
hat,  opened  the  door,  and  bowed  for  Harry  to  precede 
him. 

Harry  hesitated,  but  believing  it  would  be  the  polite 
way  to  do  as  he  was  told,  returned  the  bow  and  went  out. 
The  Frenchman  put  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  they 
went  downstairs  together  and  took  their  seats  in  the 
salon,  where  his  companion  gave  an  order,  and  in  two  or 


14  W  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

three  minutes  a  bowl  of  broth  was  placed  before  each  of 
them. 

It  fully  answered  Harry's  ideas  as  to  the  thinness  of 
French  soup,  for  it  looked  like  dirty  water  with  a  few 
pieces  of  bread  and  some  scraps  of  vegetables  floating  in 
it.  He  was  astonished  at  the  piece  of  bread,  nearly  a 
yard  long,  placed  on  the  table.  M.  du  Tillet  cut  a  piece 
off  and  handed  it  to  him.  He  broke  a  portion  of  it  into 
his  broth,  and  found,  when  he  tasted  it,  that  it  was  much 
nicer  than  itJooked. 

"It's  not  so  bad  after  all,"  he  thought  to  himself. 
"Anyhow,  bread  seems  plentiful,  so  there's  no  fear  of 
my  starving. "  He  followed  his  companion's  example 
and  made  his  way  steadily  through  a  number  of  dishes 
all  new  and  strange  to  him ;  neither  his  sight  nor  his  taste 
gave  him  the  slightest  indication  as  to  what  meat  he  was 
eating. 

"I  suppose  it's  all  right,"  he  concluded;  "but  what 
people  can  want  to  make  such  messes  of  their  food  for  I 
can't  make  out.  A  slice  of  good  roast  beef  is  worth  the 
lot  of  it;  but  really  it  isn't  nasty;  some  of  the  dishes  are 
not  bad  at  all  if  one  only  knew  what  they  were  made  of." 
M.  du  Tillet  offered  him  some  wine,  which  he  tasted  but 
shook  his  head,  for  it  seemed  rough  and  sour;  but  he 
poured  himself  out  some  water.  Presently  a  happy  idea 
seized  him;  he  touched  the  bread  and  said  interroga- 
tively, "Bread?"  M.  du  Tillet  at  once  replied  "Pain," 
which  Harry  repeated  after  him. 

The  ice  thus  broken,  conversation  began, -and  Harry 
soon  learned  the  French  for  knife,  fork,  spoon,  plate,  and 
various  other  articles,  and  felt  that  he  was  fairly  on  the 
way  toward  talking  French.  After  the  meal  was  over  M. 
du  Tillet  rose  and  put  on  his  hat,  and  signed  to  Harry  to 
accompany  him.     They  strolled  through  the  town,  went 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  15 

down  to  the  quays  and  looked  at  the  fishing-boats ;  Harry 
•was  feeling  more  at  home  now,  and  asked  the  French 
name  for  everything  he  saw,  repeating  the  word  over  and 
over  again  to  himself  until  he  felt  sure  that  he  should 
remember  it,  and  then  asking  the  name  of  some  fresh 
object. 

The  next  morning  they  started  in  the  post-wagon  for 
Paris,  and  arrived  there  after  thirty-six  hours'  travel. 
Harry  was  struck  with  the  roads,  which  were  far  better 
tended  and  kept  than  those  in  England.  The  extreme 
flatness  of  the  country  surprised  him,  and,  except  in  the 
quaintness  of  the  villages  and  the  variety  of  the  church 
towers,  he  saw  little  to  admire  during  the  journey. 

"If  it  is  all  like  this,"  he  thought  to  himself,  "I  don't 
see  that  they  have  any  reason  for  calling  it  la  belle 
France." 

Of  Paris  he  saw  little.  A  blue-bloused  porter  carried 
his  trunk  what  seemed  to  Harry  a  long  distance  from  the 
place  where  the  conveyance  stopped.  The  streets  here 
were  quiet  and  almost  deserted  after  the  busy  thoroughfare 
of  the  central  city.  The  houses  stood,  for  the  most  parts  ' 
back  from  the  street,  with  high  walls  and  heavy  gates.      | 

"Here  we  are  at  last,"  his  guide  said,  as  he  halted  be- 
fore a  large  and  massive  gateway,  surmounted  by  a  coat 
of  arms  with  supporters  carved  in  stonework.  He  rang 
at  the  bell,  which  was  opened  by  a  porter  in  livery,  who 
bowed  profoundly  upon  seeing  M.  du  Tillet.  '  Passing 
through  the  doorway,  Harry  found  himself  in  a  spacious 
hall,  decorated  with  armor  and  arms.  As  he  crossed  the 
threshold  M.  du  Tillet  took  his  hand  and  shook  it 
heartily,  saying,  "Welcome!"  Harry  understood  the 
action,  though  not  the  words,  and  nodded,  saying: 

"I  think  I  shall  get  on  capitally  if  they  are  all  as  jolly 
as  you  are. ' ' 


16  IN  THE  REION  OF  TERROR.  ' 

Then  they  both  laughed,  and  Harry  looked  round  won- 
dering what  was  coming  next. 

"The  marquis  and  his  family  are  all  away  at  their 
chateau  near  Dijon,"  his  companion  said,  waving  his 
hand.  "We  shall  stay  a  day  or  two  to  rest  ourselves 
after  our  journey,  and  then  start  to  join  them'' 

He  led  Harry  into  a  great  salon  magnificently  fur- 
nished, pointed  to  the  chairs  and  looking-glasses  and 
other  articles  of  furniture,  all  swathed  up  in  coverings ; 
and  the  lad  understood  at  once  that  the  family  were 
away.  This  was  a  relief  to  him ;  he  was  getting  on  capi- 
tally with  M.  du  Tillet,  but  shrank  from  the  prospect  of 
meeting  so  many  strange  faces. 

A  meal  was  speedily  served  in  a  small  and  comfortably 
furnished  apartment;  and  Harry  concluded  that  although 
he  might  not  be  able  to  decide  on  the  nature  of  his  food, 
it  was  really  nice,  and  that  there  was  no  fear  whatever  of 
his  falling  away  in  flesh.  M.  du  Tillet  pressed  him  to 
try  the  wine  again,  and  this  he  found  to  be  a  vast  im- 
provement upon  the  vintage  he  had  tasted  at  Calais. 

After  breakfast  next  morning  they  started  for  a  walk, 
and  Harry  was  delighted  with  the  Louvre,  the  Tuileries, 
the  Palais  Royal,  and  other  public  buildings,  which  he 
could  not  but  acknowledge  were  vastly  superior  to  any- 
thing he  had  seen  in  London.  Then  he  was  taken  to  a 
tailor's,  the  marquis  having  commissioned  his  guide  to 
carry  out  Dr.  Sandwith's  request  in  this  matter.  M.  du 
Tillet  looked  interrogatively  at  Harry  as  he  entered  the 
shop,  as  if  to  ask  if  he  understood  why  he  was  taken 
there. 

Harry  nodded,  for  indeed  he  was  glad  to  see  that  no 
time  was  to  be  lost,  for  he  was  already  conscious  that  his 
dress  differed  considerably  from  that  of  French  boys. 
Several  street  gamins  had  pointed  at  him  and  made  jeer- 


IJST  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  17 

ing  remarks,  which,  without  understanding  the  words, 
Harry  felt  to  be  insulting,  and  would,  had  he  heard  them 
in  the  purlieus  of  Westminster,  have  considered  as  a 
challenge  to  battle.  He  had  not,  however,  suffered  alto- 
gether ^unavenged,  for  upon  one  occasion  M.  du  Tillet 
turned  sharply  round  and  caught  one  offender  so  smartly 
with  his  cane  that  he  ran  howling  away. 

"They  are  awful  guys!"  Harry  thought  as  he  looked 
at  the  French  boys  he  met.  "But  it's  better  to  be  a  guy 
than  to  be  chaffed  by  every  boy  one  meets,  especially  if 
one  is  not  to  be  allowed  to  fight.  It  was,  therefore,  with 
a  feeling  of  satisfaction  that  he  turned  into  the  tailor's 
shop.  The  proprietor  came  up  bowing,  as  Harry  thought 
in  a  most  cringing  sort  of  way  to  his  companion.  M. 
du  Tillet  gave  some  orders,  and  the  tailor  unrolled  a 
variety  of  pieces  of  cloth  and  other  materials  for  Harry's 
inspection. 

The  lad  shook  his  head  and  turned  to  his  guide,  and, 
pointing  to  the  goods,  asked  him  to  choose  the  things 
which  were  most  suitable  for  him ;  M.  du  Tillet  under- 
stood the  appeal  and  ordered  four  suits.  Two  of  these 
were  for  ordinary  wear;  another  was,  Harry  concluded, 
for  the  evening ;  and  the  fourth  for  ceremonial  occasions. 

The  coats  were  cut  long,  but  very  open  in  front,  and 
were  far  too  scanty  to  button ;  the  waistcoats  were  long 
and  embroidered,  a  white  and  ample  handkerchief  went 
round  the  throat  and  was  tied  loosely,  with  long  ends 
edged  with  lace  falling  in  front ;  knee  breeches,  with 
white  stockings,  and  shoes  with  buckles,  completed  the 
costume. 

Harry  looked  on  with  a  smile  of  amusement,  and  burst 
into  a  hearty  laugh  when  the  garments  were  fixed  upon, 
for  the  idea  of  himself  dressed  out  in  these  seemed  to  him 
ludicrous  in  the  extreme. 


18  II?  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"How  they  would  laugh  at  home,"  he  thought  to  him- 
self, "if  they  could  see  me  in  these  things!  The  girls 
would  give  me  no  peace.  And  wouldn't  there  be  an  up- 
roar if  I  were  to  turn  up  in  them  in  Dean's  Yard  and 
march  up  school!" 

Harry  was  then  measured.  "When  this  was  done  he 
took  out  his  purse,  which  contained  fifty  guineas;  for  his 
father  had  thought  it  probable  that  the  clothes  he  would 
require  would  cost  more  than  they  would  in  London,  and 
he  wished  him  to  have  a  good  store  of  pocket-money  until 
he  received  the  first  instalment  of  his  pay.  M.  duTillet, 
however,  shook  his  head  and  motioned  to  him  to  put  up 
his  purse ;  and  Harry  supposed  that  it  was  not  customary 
to  pay  for  things  in  France  until  they  were  delivered. 
Then  his  companion  took  him  into  another  shop  and. 
pointing  to  his  own  ruffles  intimated  that  Harry  would 
require  some  linen  of  this  kind  to  be  worn  when  in  full 
dress.  Harry  signified  that  his  friend  should  order  what 
was  necessary ;  and  half  a  dozen  shirts,  with  deep  ruffles 
at  the  wrist  and  breast,  were  ordered.  This  brought 
their  shopping  to  an  end. 

They  remained  three  days  in  Paris,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  Harry's  clothes  were  delivered.  The  following 
morning  a  carriage  with  the  arms  of  the  marquis  em- 
blazoned upon  it  came  up  to  the  door,  and  they  started. 
The  horses  were  fat  and  lazy ;  and  Harry,  who  had  no  idea 
how  far  they  were  going,  thought  that  the  journey  was 
likely  to  be  a  long  one  if  this  was  the  pace  at  which  they 
were  to  travel. 

Twelve  miles  out  they  changed  horses  at  a  post-station, 
their  own  returning  to  Paris,  and  after  this  had  relays  at 
each  station,  and  traveled  at  a  pace  which  seemed  to 
Harry  to  be  extraordinarily  rapid. 

They  slept  twice  upon  the  road. 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  19 

The  third  day  the  appearance  of  the  country  altogether 
changed,  and,  instead  of  the  flat  plains  which  Harry  had 
begun  to  think  extended  all  over  France,  they  were  now 
among  hills  higher  than  anything  he  had  ever  seen  be- 
fore. Toward  the  afternoon  they  crossed  the  range  and 
began  to  descend,  and  as  evening  approached  M.  du 
Tillet  pointed  to  a  building  standing  on  rising  ground 
some  miles  away,  and  said : 

"That  is  the  chateau." 


20  IF  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A    MAD    DOG. 

It  was  dark  before  the  carriage  drove  up  to  the  chateau. 
Their  approach  had  been  seen,  for  two  lackeys  appeared 
with  torches  at  the  head  of  the  broad  steps.  M.  du 
Tillet  put  his  hand  encouragingly  on  Harry's  shoulder 
and  led  him  up  the  steps.  A  servant  preceded  them 
across  a  great  hall,  when  a  door  opened  and  a  gentleman 
came  forward. 

"Monsieur  le  Marquis,"  M.  du  Tillet  said,  bowing, 
"this  is  the  young  gentleman  you  charged  me  to  bring 
to  you." 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  the  marquis  said;  "and  I  hope 
you  will  make  yourself  happy  and  comfortable  here." 

Harry  did  not  understand  the  words,  but  he  felt  the 
tone  of  kindness  and  courtesy  with  which  they  were 
spoken.  He  could,  however,  only  bow;  for  although  in 
the  eight  days  he  had  spent  with  M.  du  Tillet  he  had 
picked  up  a  great  many  nouns  and  a  few  phrases,  his 
stock  of  words  was  of  no  use  to  him  at  present. 

"And  you,  M.  du  Tillet, "  the  marquis  said.  "You 
have  made  a  good  journey,  I  hope?  I  thank  you  much 
for  the  trouble  you  have  taken.  I  like  the  boy's  looks; 
what  do  you  think  of  him?" 

"I  like  him  very  much,"  M.  du  Tillet  said;  "he  is  a 
new  type  to  me,  and  a  pleasant  one.  I  think  he  will 
make  a  good  companion  for  the  young  count." 

The  marquis  now  turned  and  led  the  way  into  a  great 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  21 

drawing-room,  and  taking  Harry's  band  led  him  up  to  a 
lady  seated  on  a  couch. 

"This  is  our  young  English  friend,  Julie.  Of  course 
he  is  strange  at  present,  but  M.  du  Tillet  reports  well  of 
him  and  I  already  like  his  face." 

The  lady  held  out  her  hand,  which  Harry,  instead  of 
bending  over  and  kissing,  as  she  had  expected,  shook 
heartily.  For  an  instant  only  a  look  of  intense  surprise 
passed  across  her  face ;  then  she  said  courteously : 

"We  are  glad  to  see  you.  It  is  very  good  of  you  to 
come  so  far  to  us.     I  trust  that  you  will  be  happy  here. " 

"These  are  my  sons  Ernest  and  Jules,  who  will,  I  am 
sure,  do  all  in  their  power  to  make  you  comfortable," 
the  marquis  said. 

The  last  words  were  spoken  sharply  and  significantly, 
and  their  tone  was  not  lost  upon  the  two  boys;  they  had 
a  moment  before  been  struggling  to  prevent  themselves 
bursting  into  a  laugh  at  Harry's  reception  of  their 
mother's  greeting,  but  they  now  instantly  composed 
their  faces  and  advanced. 

"Shake  hands  with  him, "  the  marquis  said  sharply; 
"it  is  the  custom  of  his  country." 

Each  in  turn  held  out  his  hand  to  Harry,  who,  as  he 
shook  hands  with  them,  took  a  mental  stock  of  his  future 
companions. 

"Good-looking,"  he  said  to  himself,  "but  more  like 
girls  than  boys.  A  year  in  the  fifth  form  would  do  them 
a  world  of  good.  I  could  polish  the  two  off  together  with 
one  hand." 

"My  daughters,"  the  mai-quis  said,  "Mesdemoiselles 
Marie,  Jeanne,  and  Virginie" 

Three  young  ladies  had  risen  from  their  seats  as  their 
father  entered,  each  made  a  deep  courtesy  as  her  name 
was   mentioned,    and    Harry   bowed    deeply   in   return. 


22  IN"  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Mademoiselle  Marie  was  two  years  at  least  older  than 
himself,  and  was  already  a  young  lady  of  fashion.  Jeanne 
struck  him  as  being  about  the  same  age  as  his  sister 
Fanny,  who  was  between  fourteen  and  fifteen.  Virginie 
was  a  child  of  ten.  Ernest  was  about  his  own  age,  while 
Jules  cf  me  between  the  two  younger  girls. 

"Take  M.  Sandwith  to  the  abbe,  "the  marquis  said  to 
Ernest,  "and  do  all  in  your  power  to  set  him  at  his  ease. 
Eemember  what  you  would  feel  if  you  were  placed  as  he 
is,  among  strange  people  in  a  strange  country." 

The  lad  motioned  to  Harry  to  accompany  him,  and  the 
three  boys  left  the  room  together. 

"You  can  go  to  your  governante, "  the  marquise  said 
to  the  two  younger  girls ;  and  ,  with  a  profound  courtesy 
to  her  and  another  to  the  marquis,  they  left  the  room. 
Unrestrained  now  by  their  presence,  the  marquise  turned, 
to  her  husband  with  a  merry  laugh. 

"But  it  is  a  bear  you  have  brought  home  Edouard,  a 
veritable  bear — my  fingers  ache  sill — and  he  is  to  teach 
manners  to  my  sons!  I  always  protested  against  the 
plan,  but  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  as  bad  as  this. 
These  islanders  are  savages." 

The  marquis  smiled. 

"He  is  a  little  gauche,  but  that  will  soon  rub  off.  I 
like  him,  Julie.  Remember  it  was  a  difficult  position 
for  a  boy.  We  did  not  have  him  here  to  give  polish  to 
our  sons.  It  may  be  that  they  have  even  a  little  too 
much  of  this  at  present.  The  English  are  not  polished, 
everyone  knows  that,  but  they  are  manly  and  indepen- 
dent. That  boy  bore  himself  well.  He  probably  had 
never  been  in  a  room  like  this  in  his  life,  he  was  igno- 
rant of  our  language,  alone  among  strangers,  but  he  was 
calm  and  pelf-possessed.  I  like  the  honest,  straightfor- 
ward look  in  his  face.     And  look   at   the  width   of   the 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  23 

shoulders  and  the  strength  of  his  arms;  why,  he  would 
break  Ernest  across  his  knee,  and  the  two  boys  must  be 
about  the  same  age." 

"Oh,  he  has  brute  strength,  I  grant,"  the  marquise 
said;  "so  have  the  sons  of  our  peasants;  however,  I  do 
not  want  to  find  fault  with  him,  it  is  your  hobby,  or 
rather  that  of  Auguste,  who  is,  I  think,  mad  about  these 
English ;  I  will  say  nothing  to  prevent  its  having  a  fair 
trial,  only  I  hope  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  me  to  give 
him  my  hand  again" 

"I  do  not  suppose  it  will  until  he  leaves,  Julie,  and  by 
that  time,  no  doubt,  he  will  know  what  to  do  with  it; 
but  here  is  M.  du  Tillet  waiting  all  this  time  for  you  to 
speak  to  him." 

"Pardon  me,  my  good  M.  du  Tillet,"  the  marquise 
said.  "In  truth  that  squeeze  of  my  hand  has  driven  all 
other  matters  from  my  mind.  How  have  you  fared? 
This  long  journey  with  this  English  bear  must  have  been 
very  tedious  for  you." 

"Indeed,  Madame  la  Marquise  "  M.  du  Tillet  replied, 
"it  has  been  no  hardship,  the  boy  has  amused  me  greatly, 
nay,  more,  he  has  pleased  me.  We  have  been  able  to  say 
little  to  each  other,  though,  indeed,  he  is  quick  and  eager 
to  learn,  and  vv  ill  soon  speak  our  language ;  but  his  face 
has  been  a  study.  When  he  is  pleased  you  can  see  that 
he  is  pleased,  and  that  is  a  pleasure,  for  few  people  are 
pleased  in  our  days.  Again,  when  he  does  not  like  a 
thing  you  can  also  see  it.  I  can  see  that  he  says  to  him- 
self, I  can  expect  nothing  better,  these  poor  people  are 
only  French.  When  the  gamins  in  Paris  jeered  him  as 
to  his  dress,  he  closed  his  hands  and  would  have  flown  at 
them  with  his  fists  after  the  manner  of  his  countrymen 
had  he  not  put  strong  restraint  on  himself.  From  the  look 
of  his  honest  eyes  I  shall,  when  he  can   speak  our  Ian- 


24  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

guage,  believe  irnplicity  what  he  says.  That  boy  would 
not  tell  a  lie  whatever  were  the  consequences.  Alto- 
gether I  like  him  much.  I  think  that  in  a  very  little 
while  he  will  adapt  himself  to  what  goes  on  around  him, 
and  that  you  will  have  no  reason  ere  long  to  complain 
of  his  gaucheries." 

"And  you  really  think,  M.  du  Tillet,  that  he  will  be  a 
useful  companion  for  my  boys?" 

"If  you  will  pardon  me  for  saying  so,  madame,  I  think 
that  he  will — at  any  rate  I  am  sure  he  can  be  trusted  to 
teach  them  no  wrong." 

"You  are  all  against  me,"  the  marquise  laughed. 
"And  you,  Marie?" 

"I  did  not  think  of  him  one  way  or  the  other,"  the 
girl  said  coldly.  "He  is  very  awkward;  but  as  he  is 
not  to  be  my  companion  that  does  not  concern  me.  It  is 
like  one  of  papa's  dogs,  one  more  or  less  makes  no  differ- 
ence in  the  house  so  long  as  they  do  not  tread  upon  one's 
skirt." 

"That  is  the  true  spirit  of  the  French  nobility,  Marie," 
her  father  said  sarcastically.  "Outside  our  own  circle 
the  whole  human  race  is  nothing  to  us;  they  are  animals 
who  supply  our  wants,  voila  tout.  I  tell  you,  my  dear, 
that  the  time  is  coming  when  this  will  not  suffice.  The 
nation  is  stirring;  that  France  which  we  have  so  long 
ignored  is  lifting  its  head  and  muttering;  the  news  from 
Paris  is  more  and  more  grave.  The  Assembly  has  assumed 
the  supreme  authority,  and  the  king  is  a  puppet  in  its 
power.  The  air  is  dark  as  with  a  thunder  cloud,  and 
there  may  be  such  a  storm  sweep  over  France  as  there 
has  not  been  since  the  days  of  the  Jacquerie." 

"But  the  people  should  be  contented,"  M.  du  Tillet 
said;  "they  have  had  all  the  privileges  they  ever  pos- 
sessed given  back  to  them." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  25 

"Yes,"  the  marquis  assented,  "and  there  lies  the  dan- 
ger. It  is  one  thing  or  the  other.  If  as  soon  as  the 
temper  of  the  third  estate  had  been  seen  the  king's 
guards  had  entered  and  cleared  the  place  and  closed  the 
door,  as  Cromwell  did  when  the  parliament  was  trouble- 
some to  him  in  England,  that  would  have  been  one  way. 
Paris  would  have  been  troublesome,  we  might  have  had 
again  the  days  of  the  Fronde,  but  in  the  end  the  king's 
party  would  have  won. 

"However,  that  was  not  the  way  tried.  They  began 
by  concessions,  they  go  on  with  concessions,  and  each 
concession  is  made  the  ground  for  more.  It  is  like 
sliding  down  a  hill ;  when  you  have  once  begun  you  can- 
not stop  yourself,  and  you  go  on  until  there  is  a  crash ; 
then  it  may  be  you  pick  yourself  up  sorely  wounded  and 
bruised,  and  begin  to  reclimb  the  hill  slowly  and  pain- 
fully; it  may  be  that  you  are  dashed  to  pieces.  lam 
not  a  politician.  I  do  not  care  much  for  the  life  of  Paris 
and  am  well  content  to  live  quietly  here  on  our  estates ; 
but  even  I  can  see  that  a  storm  is  gathering;  and  as  for 
my  brother  Auguste,  he  goes  about  shaking  his  head  and 
wringing  his  hands,  his  anticipations  are  of  the  darkest. 
What  can  one  expect  when  fellows  like  Voltaire  and 
Rousseau  were  permitted  by  their  poisonous  preaching 
to  corrupt  and  inflame  the  imagination  of  the  people? 
Both  those  men's  heads  should  have  been  cut  off  the 
instant  they  began  to  write. 

"The  scribblers  are  at  the  root  of  all  the  trouble  with 
their  pestilent  doctrines;  but  it  is  too  late  now,  the  mis- 
chief is  done.  If  we  had  a  king  strong  and  determined 
all  might  yet  be  well ;  but  Louis  is  weak  in  decision,  he 
listens  one  moment  to  Mirabeau  and  the  next  to  the 
queen,  who  is  more  firm  and  courageous.  And  so  things 
drift  on  from  bad  to  worse,  and  the  Assembly,  backed  by 
the  turbulent  scum  of  Paris,  are  masters  of  the  situation." 


26  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

For  some  time  Harry  lived  a  quiet  life  at  the  chateau. 
He  found  his  position  a  very  pleasant  one.  The  orders 
of  the  marquis  that  he  should  be  treated  as  one  of  the 
family  were  obeyed,  and  there  was  no  distinction  made 
between  himself  and  Ernest.  In  the  morning  the  two 
boys  and  himself  worked  with  the  abbe,  a  quiet  and 
gentle  old  man ;  in  the  afternoon  they  rode  and  fenced, 
under  the  instructions  of  M.  du  Tillet  or  one  or  other  of 
the  gentlemen  of  the  marquis'  establishment;  and  on 
holidays  shot  or  fished  as  they  chose  on  the  preserves  or 
streams  of  the  estate.  For  an  hour  each  morning  the 
two  younger  girls  shared  in  their  studies,  learning  Latin 
and  history  with  their  brothers.  Harry  got  on  very  well 
with  Ernest,  but  there  was  no  real  cordiality  between 
them.  The  hauteur  and  insolence  with  which  the  young 
count  treated  his  inferiors  were  a  constant  source  of  ex-* 
asperation  to  Harry. 

"He  thinks  himself  a  little  god,"  he  would  often 
mutter  to  himself.  "I  would  give  a  good  deal  to  have 
him  for  three  months  at  Westminster.  Wouldn't  he  get 
his  conceit  and  nonsense  knocked  out  of  him!"  At  the 
same  time  he  was  always  scrupulously  polite  and  cour- 
teous to  his  English  companion — much  too  polite,  indeed 
to  please  Harry.  He  had  good  qualities  too :  he  was 
generous  with  his  money,  and  if  during  their  rides  a 
woman  came  up  with  a  tale  of  distress  he  was  always 
ready  to  assist  her.  He- was  clever,  and  Harry,  to  his 
surprise,  found  that  his  knowledge  of  Latin  was  far  be- 
yond his  own,  and  that  Ernest  could  construe  passages 
with  the  greatest  ease  which  altogether  puzzled  him.  He 
was  a  splendid  rider,  and  could  keep  his  seat  with  erase 
and  grace  on  the  most  fiery  animals  in  his  father's  stables. 
When  they  went  out  with  their  guns  Harry  felt  his  in- 
feriority keenly.     Not  only  was  Ernest  an  excellent  shot. 


IZV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  21 

but  at  the  end  of  a  long  day's  sport  lie  would  come  in 
apparently  fresh  and  untired,  while  Harry,  although 
bodily  far  the  most  powerful,  would  be  completely  done 
up ;  and  at  gymnastic  exercises  he  could  do  with  ease 
ieats  which  Harry  could  at  first  not  even  attempt.  In 
this  respect,  however,  the  English  lad  in  three  month's 
time  was  able  to  rival  him.  His  disgust  at  finding  him- 
self so  easily  beaten  by  a  French  boy  nerved  ^him  to  the 
greatest  exertions,  and  his  muscles,  practiced  in  all  sorts 
of  games,  soon  adapted  themselves  to  the  new  exercises. 

Harry  picked  up  French  very  rapidly.  The  absolute 
necessity  there  was  to  express  himself  in  that  language 
caused  him  to  make  a  progress  which  surprised  himself, 
and  at  the  end  of  three  months  he  was  able  to  converse 
with  little  difficulty,  and  having  learned  it  entirely  by 
ear  he  spoke  with  a  fair  accent  and  pronunciation. 
M.  du  Tillet,  who  was  the  principal  instructor  of  the 
boys  in  their  outdoor  exercises,  took  much  pains  to  assist 
him  in  his  French,  and  helped  him  on  in  every  way  in 
his  power. 

In  the  evening  there  were  dancing  lessons,  and  al- 
though very  far  from  exhibiting  the  stately  grace  with 
which  Ernest  could  perform  the  minuet  or  other  courtly 
dances  then  in  fashion,  Harry  came  in  time  to  perform 
his  part  fairly.  Two  hours  were  spent  in  the  evening 
in  the  salon.  This  part  of  his  day  Harry  at  first  found 
the  most  tedious;  but  as  soon  as  he  began  to  speak 
fluently  the  marquis  addressed  most  of  his  conversation 
to  him,  asking  him  questions  about  the  life  of  English 
boys  at  school  and  about  English  manners  and  customs, 
and  Harry  soon  found  himself  chatting  at  his  ease. 

"The  distinction  of  classes  is  clearly  very  much  less 
with  you  in  England  than  it  is  here,"  the  marquis  said 
one  day:  when  Harry  had  been  describing  a  great  fight 


28  IF  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

■which  had  taken  place  between  a  party  of  Westminster 
boys  and  those  of  the  neighborhood.  "It  seems  extraor- 
dinary to  me  that  sons  of  gentlemen  should  engage  in 
a  personal  fight  with  boys  of  the  lowest  class.  Such  a 
thing  could  not  happen  here.  If  you  were  insulted  by 
such  a  boy,  what  would  you  do,  Ernest?" 

"I  should  run  him  through  the  body,"  Ernest  said 
quietly. 

"Just  so, "  his  father  replied,"and  I  don't  sayyou  would 
be  wrong  according  to  our  notions;  but  I  do  not  say  that 
the  English  plan  is  not  the  best.  The  English  gentleman 
— for  Monsieur  Sandwith  says  that  even  among  grown-up 
people  the  same  habits  prevail — does  not  disdain  to  show 
the  canaille  that  even  with  their  own  rough  weapons  he 
is  their  superior,  and  he  thus  holds  their  respect.  It  is 
a  coarse  way  and  altogether  at  variance  with  our  notions, 
but  there  is  much  to  be  said  for  it. " 

"But  it  altogether  does  away  with  the  reverence  that 
the  lower  class  should  feel  for  the  upper,"  Ernest  ob- 
jected. 

"That  is  true,  Ernest.  So  long  as  that  feeling  generally 
exists,  so  long  as  there  is,  as  it  were,  a  wide  chasm  be- 
tween the  two  classes,  as  there  has  always  existed  in  France, 
it  would  be  unwise  perhaps  for  one  of  the  upper  to  admit 
that  in  any  respect  there  could  be  any  equality  between 
them ;  but  this  is  not  so  in  England,  where  a  certain 
equality  has  always  been  allowed  to  exist.  The  English- 
man of  all  ranks  has  a  certain  feeling  of  self-respect  and 
independence,  and  the  result  is  shown  in  the  history  of 
the  wars  which  have,  been  fought  between  the  two 
nations. 

"France  in  early  days  always  relied  upon  her  chivalry. 
The  horde  of  footmen  she  placed  in  the  field  counted  for 
little.     England,  upon  the  other  hand,  relied  principally 


W  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  29 

upon  her  archers  and  her  pikemen,  and  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  they  beat  us  handsomely.  Then  again  in  the 
■wars  in  Flanders,  under  the  English  general  Marl- 
borough, their  infantry  always  proved  themselves  su- 
perior to  ours.  It  is  galling  to  admit  it,  but  there  is  no 
blinking  the  facts  of  history.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
feeling  of  independence  and  self-respect  which  this  Eng- 
lish system  gives  rise  to,  even  among  the  lowest  class, 
must  render  them  man  for  man  better  soldiers  than  those 
drawn  from  a  peasantry  whose  very  lives  are  at  the  mercy 
of  their  lords." 

"I  think,  Du  Tillet,"  the  marquis  said  later  on  that 
same  evening,  when  the  young  people  had  retired,  "  I 
have  done  very  well  in  taking  my  brother  Auguste's  ad- 
vice as  to  having  an  English  companion  for  Ernest.  If 
things  were  as  they  were  under  the  Grand  Monarque,  I 
do  not  say  that  it  would  have  been  wise  to  allow  a  young 
French  nobleman  to  get  these  English  ideas  into  his 
head,  but  it  is  different  now. 

"We  are  on  the  eve  of  great  changes.  What  will  come 
of  it  no  one  can  say ;  but  there  will  certainly  be  changes, 
and  it  is  a  good  thing  that  my  children  should  get 
broader  ideas  than  those  in  which  we  were  brought  up. 
This  lad  is  quiet  and  modest,  but  he  ventures  to  think 
for  himself.  It  scarce  entered  the  head  of  a  French 
nobleman  a  generation  back  that  the  mass  of  the  people 
had  any  feelings  or  wishes,  much  less  rights.  They 
were  useful  in  their  way,  just  as  the  animals  are,  but 
needed  no  more  consideration.  They  have  never  counted 
for  anything. 

"In  England  the  people  have  rights  and  liberties; 
they  won  them  years  ago.  It  would  be  well  for  us  in  the 
present  day  had  they  done  so  in  Fran«e.  I  fancy  the 
next  generation  will  have  to  adapt  themselves  to  changed 


30  -Cr  TEE  REIGIf  OF  TERROR. 

circumstances,  and  the  ideas  that  Ernest  and  Jules  will 
learn  from  this  English  lad  will  be  a  great  advantage  to 
them,  and  will  fit  them  for  the  new  state  of  things." 

It  was  only  during  lessons,  when  their  gouvernante  was 
always  present,  at  meal  times,  and  in  the  salon  in  the 
evening,  that  Harry  had  any  communication  with  the 
young  ladies  of  the  family.  If  they  met  in  the  grounds 
they  were  saluted  by  the  boys  with  as  much  formal 
courtesy  as  if  they  had  been  the  most  distant  acquain- 
tances, returning  the  bows  with  deep  courtesies. 

These  meetings  were  a  source  of  great  amusement  to 
Harry,  who  could  scarcely  preserve  his  gravity  at  these 
formal  and  distant  greetings.  On  one  occasion,  however, 
the  even  course  of  these  meetings  was  broken.  The  boys 
had  just  left  the  tennis-court  where  they  had  been  play- 
ing, and  had  laid  aside  the  swords  which  they  carried 
when  walking  or  riding. 

The  tennis-court  was  at  some  little  distance  from  the 
house,  and  they  were  walking  across  the  garden  when 
they  heard  a  scream.  At  a  short  distance  was  the  gover- 
ness with  her  two  young  charges.  She  had  thrown  her 
arms  round  them,  and  stood  the  picture  of  terror,  utter- 
ing loud  screams. 

Looking  round  in  astonishment  to  discover  the  cause 
of  her  terror,  Harry  saw  a  large  wolf-hound  running  to- 
ward them  at  a  trot.  Its  tongue  was  hanging  out,  and 
there  was  a  white  foam  on  its  jaws.  He  had  heard  M. 
du  Tillet  tell  the  marquis  on  the  previous  day  that  this 
dog,  which  was  a  great  favorite,  seemed  strange  and  un- 
quiet, and  he  had  ordered  it  to  be  chained  up.  It  had 
evidently  broken  its  fastening,  for  it  was  dragging  a 
piece  of  chain  some  six  feet  long  behind  it. 

It  flashed  across  him  at  once  that  the  animal  was  mad, 
but  without  an  instant's  hesitation  he  dashed  off  at  full 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROB.  31 

speed  and  threw  himself  in  front  of  the  ladies  before  the 
dog  reached  them.  Snatching  off  his  coat,  and  then 
kneeling  on  one  knee,  he  awaited  the  animal's  attack. 
Without  deviating  from  its  course  the  hound  sprang  at 
him  with  a  short  snarling  howl.  Harry  threw  his  coat 
over  its  head  and  then  grasped  it  round  the  neck. 

The  impetus  of  the  spring  knocked  him  over,  and  they 
rolled  together  on  the  ground.  The  animal  struggled 
furiously,  but  Harry  retained  his  grasp  round  its  neck. 
In  vain  the  hound  tried  to  free  itself  from  its  blinding 
incumbrance,  or  to  bite  his  assailant  through  it,  and 
struggled  to  shake  off  his  hold  with  its  legs  and  claws. 
Harry  maintained  his  grasp  tightly  round  its  neck,  with 
his  head  pressed  closely  against  one  of  its  ears.  Several 
times  they  rolled  over  and  over.  At  last  Harry  made  a 
great  effort  when  he  was  uppermost,  and  managed  to  get 
his  knees  upon  the  animal's  belly,  and  then,  digging  his 
toes  in  the  ground,  pressed  with  all  his  weight  upon  it. 

There  was  a  sound  as  of  cracking  of  bones,  then  the 
dog's  struggles  suddenly  ceased,  and  his  head  fell  over, 
and  Harry  rose  to  his  feet  by  the  side  of  the  dead  hound 
just  as  a  number  of  men,  with  pitchforks  and  other  wea- 
pons, ran  up  to  the  spot  from  the  stables,  while  the  mar- 
quis, sword  in  hand,  arrived  from  the  house. 

The  gouvernante,  too,  paralyzed  by  fear,  had  stood 
close  by  with  her  charges  while  the  struggle  was  going 
on.  Ernest  had  come  up,  and  was  standing  in  front  of 
his  sisters,  ready  to  be  the  next  victim  if  the  dog  had 
overpowered  Harry.  Less  accustomed  to  running  than 
the  English  boy,  and  for  a  moment  rooted  to  the  ground 
with  horror  at  his  sister's  danger,  he  had  not  arrived  at 
the  spot  until  the  struggle  between  Harry  and  the  dog 
was  half  over,  and  had  then  seen  no  way  of  rendering 
assistance ;  but  believing  that  the  dog  was  sure  to  be  the 


32  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

conqueror,  he  had  placed  himself  before  his  sisters  to 
bear  the  brunt  of  the  next  assault. 

Seeing  at  a  glance  that  his  daughters  were  untouched 
the  marquis  ran  on  to  Harry,  who  was  standing  panting 
and  breathless,  and  threw  his  arms  round  him. 

"My  brave  boy,"  he  exclaimed,  "you  have  saved  my 
daughters  from  a  dreadful  death  by  your  courage  and 
devotion.  How  can  I  and  their  mother  ever  thank  you  ? 
I  saw  it  all  from  the  terrace — the  speed  with  which  you 
sprang  to  their  assistance — the  quickness  of  thought  with 
which  you  stripped  off  your  coat  and  threw  it  over  its 
head.  After  that  I  could  see  nothing  except  your  rolling 
over  and  over  in  a  confused  mass.  You  are  not  hurt,  I 
trust?" 

"Not  a  bit,  sir,"  Harry  said. 

"And  you  have  killed  it — wonderful!" 

"There  was  nothing  in  that,  sir.  I  have  heard  my 
father,  who  is  a  doctor,  say  that  a  man  could  kill  the 
biggest  dog  if  he  could  get  it  down  on  its  back  and  kneel 
on  it.  So  when  I  once  managed  to  get  my  knees  on  it  I 
felt  it  was  all  right." 

"Ah,  it  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  speak  as  if  it  were 
nothing!"  the  marquis  said.  "There  are  few  men,  in- 
deed, who  would  throw  themselves  in  the  way  of  a  mad 
dog,  especially  of  such  a  formidable  brute  as  that.  You 
too  have  behaved  with  courage,  my  son,  and  I  saw  you 
were  ready  to  give  your  life  for  your  sisters;  but  you 
had  not  the  quickness  and  readiness  of  your  friend,  and 
would  have  been  too  late." 

"It  is  true,  father,"  Ernest  said  in  a  tone  of  humility. 
"I  should  have  been  too  late,  and,  moreover,  I  should 
have  been  useless,  for  he  would  have  torn  me  down  in  a 
moment,  and  then  fallen  upon  my  sisters.  M.  Sand- 
with,"   he   said  frankly,  "I  own  I  have   been  wrong. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  33 

I  have  thought  the  games  of  which  you  spoke,  and 
your  fighting,  rough  and  barbarous;  but  I  see  their 
use  now.  You  have  put  me  to  shame.  When  I  saw  that 
dog  I  felt  powerless,  for  I  had  not  my  sword  with  me ; 
but  you — you  rushed  to  the  fight  without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  trusting  in  your  strength  and  your  head. 
Yes,  your  customs  have  made  a  man  of  you,  while  I  am  a 
boy  still." 

"You  are  very  good  to  say  so,"  Harry  said;  "but  I  am 
quite  sure  that  you  would  be  just  as  quick  and  ready  as 
me  in  most  circumstances,  and  if  it  had  been  a  matter  of 
swords,  very  much  more  useful ;  but  I  am  glad  you  see 
there  is  some  advantage  in  our  rough  English  ways." 

The  marquis  had  put  his  hand  approvingly  upon 
Ernest's  shoulder  when  he  addressed  Harry,  and  then 
turned  to  his  daughters.  The  governess  had  sunk  faint- 
ing to  the  ground  when  she  saw  that  the  danger  was 
over.  Virginie  had  thrown  herself  down  and  was  crj^ing 
loudly;  while  Jeanne  stood  pale,  but  quiet,  beside  them. 

The  marquis  directed  one  of  the  men  to  run  up  to  the 
chateau  and  bid  a  female  servant  bring  down  water  and 
smelling  salts  for  the  governess,  and  then  lifted  Virginie 
up  and  tried  to  soothe  her,  while  he  stretched  out  his 
other  hand  to  Jeanne.  "You  are  shaken,  my  Jeanne," 
he  said  tenderly,  "but  you  have  borne  the  trial  well.  I 
did  not  hear  you  cry  out,  though  madame  and  the  little 
one  screamed  loudly  enough." 

"I  was  frightened  enough,  father,"  she  said  simply, 
"but  of  course  I  wasn't  going  to  cry  oat;  but  it  was  very 
terrible ;  and  oh,  how  noble  and  brave  he  was !  And  you 
know,  papa,  I  feel  ashamed  to  think  how  often  I  have 
been  nearly  laughing  because  he  was  awkward  in  the 
minuet.     I  feel  so  little  now  beside  him" 

"You  see,  my  dear,  one  must  not  judge  too  much  hy 


34  IN  TEE  BEIQN  OF  TEBBOB. 

externals/'  her  father  said  soothingly  as  she  hid  her  face 
against  his  coat,  and  he  could  feel  that  she  was  trembling 
from  head  to  foot.  "Older  people  than  you  often  do  so, 
and  are  sorry  for  it  afterward ;  but  as  I  am  sure  that  you 
would  never  allow  him  to  see  that  you  were  amused  no 
harm  has  been  done." 

"Shall  I  thank  him,  papa?" 

"Yes,  presently,  my  dear;  he  has  just  gone  off  with 
Ernest  to  see  them  bury  the  dog." 

This  incident  caused  a  considerable  change  in  Harry's 
position  in  the  family.  Previously  he  had  been  accepted 
in  consequence  of  the  orders  of  the  marquis.  Although 
compelled  to  treat  him  as  an  equal  the  two  boys  had  in 
their  hearts  looked  upon  him  as  an  inferior,  while  the 
girls  had  regarded  him  as  a  sort  of  tutor  of  their  brothers, 
and  thus  as  a  creature  altogether  indifferent  to  them. 
But  henceforth  he  appeared  in  a  different  light.  Ernest 
acted  up  to  the  spirit  of  the  words  he  had  spoken  at  the 
time,  and  henceforth  treated  him  as  a  comrade  to  be 
respected  as  well  as  liked.  He  tried  to  learn  some  of  the 
English  games,  but  as  most  of  these  required  more  than 
two  players  he  was  forced  to  abandon  them.  He  even 
asked  him  to  teach  him  to  box,  but  Harry  had  the  good 
sense  to  make  excuses  for  not  doing  so.  He  felt  that 
Ernest  was  by  no  means  his  match  in  strength,  and  that, 
with  all  his  good-will,  he  would  find  it  difficult  to  put  up 
good-naturedly  with  being  knocked  about.  He  therefore 
said  that  it  could  not  be  done  without  boxing  gloves,  and 
these  it  would  be  impossible  to  obtain  in  France ;  and 
that  in  the  next  place  he  should  hardly  advise  him  to 
learn  even  if  he  procured  the  gloves,  for  that  in  such 
contests  severe  bruises  often  were  given 

"We  think  nothing  of  a  black  eye,"  he  said,  laughing, 
"but  I  am  sure  madame  your  mother  would  not  be  pleased 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR,  3$ 

to  see  you  so  marked;  beside,  your  people  would  not 
understand  your  motive  in  undertaking  so  rough  an  exer- 
cise, and  you  might  lose  somewhat  of  their  respect.  Bo 
content,  Count  Ernest;  you  are  an  excellent  swordsman, 
and  although  I  am  improving  under  M.  du  Tillet?s  tui- 
tion I  shall  never  be  your  match.  If  you  like,  some  time 
when  we  are  out  and  away  from  observation  we  can  take 
off  our  coats,  and  I  can  give  you  a  lesson  in  wrestling ; 
it  is  a  splendid  exercise,  and  it  has  not  the  disadvantages 
of  boxing." 

Little  Jules  looked  up  to  Harry  as  a  hero,  and  hence- 
forth, when  they  were  together,  gave  him  the  same  sort 
of  implicit  obedience  he  paid  to  his  elder  brother.  The 
ceremonious  habits  of  the  age  prevented  anything  like 
familiarity  on  the  part  of  the  younger  girls ;  but  Jeanne 
and  Virginie  now  always  greeted  him  with  a  smile  when 
they  met,  and  joined  in  conversation  with  him  as  with 
their  brothers  in  tbe  evening. 

The  marquise,  who  had  formerly  protested,  if  play- 
fully, against  her  husband's  whim  in  introducing  an 
English  boy  into  their  family  circle,  now  regarded  him 
with  real  affection,  only  refraining  from  constant  allu- 
sions to  the  debt  she  considered  she  owed  him  because 
she  saw  that  he  really  shrank  from  the  subject. 

The  marquis  shortly  after  this  incident  went  to  Pari* 
for  a  fortnight  to  ascertain  from  his  friends  there  tho 
exact  position  of  things.  He  returned  depressed  and 
angry. 

The  violence  of  the  Assembly  had  increased  from  clay 
to  day.  The  property  of  all  the  convents  had  been  con- 
fiscated, and  this  measure  had  been  followed  by  the  seiz- 
ure of  the  vast  estates  of  the  church.  All  the  privileges 
of  the  nobility  had  been  declared  at  an  end,  and  in 
August  a  decree  had  been  passed  abolishing  all  titles  of 


36  IN  TEE  BEIGN  OF  TERROR. 

nobility. .  This  decree  had  taken  effect  in  Paris  and  in 
the  great  towns,  and  also  in  some  parts  of  the  country 
where  the  passions  of  the  people  were  most  aroused 
against  the  nobility ;  but  in  Burgundy  it  had  remained  a 
dead  letter.  The  Marquis  de  St.  Caux  was  popular  upon 
his  estates,  and  no  one  had  ever  neglected  to  concede  to 
him  and  to  the  marquise  their  titles.  He  himself  had 
regarded  the  decree  with  disdain.  "They  may  take 
away  my  estates  by  force,"  he  said,  "but  no  law  can  de- 
prive me  of  my  title,  any  more  than  of  the  name  which  I 
inherited  from  my  fathers.  Such  laws  as  these  are  mere 
outbursts  of  folly. ' ' 

But  the  Assembly  continued  to  pass  laws  of  the  most 
sweeping  description,  assuming  the  sovereign  power,  and 
using  it  as  no  monarch  of  France  had  ever  ventured  to 
do.  Moderate  men  were  shocked  at  the  headlong  course 
of  events,  and  numbers  of  those  who  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  movement  had  thrown  themselves  heart  and 
soul  into  it  now  shrank  back  in  dismay  at  the  strange 
tyranny  which  was  called  liberty. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  a  general  madness  has  seized  all 
Paris,"  the  marquis  said  to  his  wife  on  his  return,  "but 
at  present  nothing  can  be  done  to  arrest  it.  I  have  seen 
the  king  and  queen.  His  majesty  is  resolved  to  do 
nothing ;  that  is,  to  let  events  take  their  course,  and  what 
that  will  be  heaven  only  knows.  The  Assembly  has  taken 
all  power  into  its  hand,  the  king  is  already  a  mere 
cipher,  the  violence  of  the  leaders  of  these  men  is  beyond 
all  bounds;  the  queen  is  by  turns  hot  and  cold;  at  one 
moment  she  agrees  with  her  husband  that  the  only  hope 
lies  in  conceding  everything;  at  another  she  would  go  to 
the  army,  place  herself  in  its  hands,  and  call  on  it  to 
march  upon  Paris. 

"At  any  rate  there  is  nothing  to  be  done  at  present  but 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  37 

to  wait.  Already  numbers  of  the  deputies,  terrified  at 
the  aspect  of  affairs,  have  left  France,  and  I  am  sorry  to 
say  many  of  the  nobles  have  also  gone.  This  is  coward- 
ice and  treachery  to  the  king.  We  cannot  help  him  if  he 
will  not  be  helped,  but  it  is  our  duty  to  remain  here 
ready  to  rally  round  him  when  he  calls  us  to  his  side. 
I  am  glad  that  the  Assembly  has  passed  a  law  confiscat- 
ing the  estates  of  all  who  have  emigrated." 

Although  the  marquise  was  much  alarmed  at  the  news 
brought  by  her  husband  she  did  not  think  of  questioning 
his  decision.  It  did  not  seem  to  her  possible  that  there 
could  be  danger  for  her  and  hers  in  their  quiet  country 
chateau.  There  might  be  disturbance  and  bloodshed, 
and  even  revolution,  in  Paris;  but  surely  a  mere  echo  of 
this  would  reach  them  so  far  away. 

"Whenever  you  think  it  is  right  to  go  up  and  take  your 
place  by  the  king  I  will  go  and  take  mine  by  the  queen, ' ' 
she  said  quietly.  "The  children  will  be  safe  here;  but 
of  course  we  must  do  our  duty. ' ' 

The  winter  passed  quietly  at  the  chateau ;  there  was 
none  of  the  usual  gayety,  for  a  deep  gloom  hung  over  all 
the  noble  families  of  the  province;  still  at  times  great 
hunting  parties  were  got  up  for  the  chase  of  the  wolves 
among  the  forests,  for,  when  the  snow  was  on  the 
ground,  these  often  came  down  into  the  villages  and  com- 
mitted great  depredations. 


38  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE     DEMON     WOLF. 

Upon  the  first  of  these  occasions  Harry  and  Ernest  were 
in  high  spirits,  for  they  were  to  take  part  in  the  chase. 
It  was  the  first  time  Ernest  had  done  so,  for  during  the 
previous  winter  the  marquis  had  been  in  attendance  on 
the  court.  At  an  early  hour  the  guests  invited  to  take 
part  in  the  chase  began  to  assemble  at  the  chateau. 
Many  who  lived  at  a  distance  had  come  overnight,  and 
the  great  courtyard  presented  a  lively  aspect  with  the 
horses  and  attendants  of  the  guests.  A  collation  was 
spread  in  the  great  hall,  and  the  marquise  and  her  eldest 
daughter  moved  about  among  the  guests,  saying  a  few 
"words  of  welcome  to  each. 

"Who  is  that  young  man  who  is  talking  to  mademoi- 
selle your  sister,  Ernest?"  Harry  asked,  for  since  the 
adventure  with  the  mad  dog  the  ceremonious  title  had 
been  dropped,  and  the  boys  addressed  each  other  by  their 
Christian  names. 

"That  is  Monsieur  Lebat;  he  is  the  son  of  the  Mayor 
of  Dijon.  I  have  not  seen  him  here  before,  but  I  sup- 
pose my  father  thinks  it  is  well  in  these  times  to  do  the 
civil  thing  to  the  people  of  Dijon.  He  is  a  good-looking 
fellow  too,  but  it  is  easy  to  see  he  is  not  a  man  of  good 
family. ' ' 

"I  don't  like  his  looks  at  all,"  Harry  said  shortly. 
"Look  what  a  cringing  air  he  puts  on  as  he  speaks  to 
madame  la  marquise.  And  yet  I  fancy  he  could  be  insolent 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  39 

whei,  he  likes.  He  may  be  good-looking,  but  it  is  not  a 
style  I  admire,  with  his  thick  lips  and  his  half-closed 
eyes.  If  I  met  him  at  home  I  should  say  the  fellow  was 
something  between  a  butcher  and  a  Jew  peddler." 

"Well  done,  monsieur  the  aristocrat!"  Ernest  said, 
laughing.  "This  is  your  English  equality!  Here  is  a 
poor  fellow  who  is  allowed  to  take  a  place  out  of  his  sta- 
tion, thanks  to  the  circumstances  of  the  time,  and  you 
run  him  down  mercilessly!" 

"I  don't  run  him  down  because  he  is  not  a  gentle- 
man," Harry  said.  "I  run  him  down  because  I  don't 
like  Uis  face;  and  if  he  were  the  son  of  a  duke  instead  of 
the  son  of  a  mayor  I  should  dislike  it  just  as  much. 
You  take  my  word  for  it,  Ernest,  that's  a  bad  fellow." 

"Poor  Monsieur  Lebat!"  Ernest  laughed.  "I  dare 
say  he  is  a  very  decent  fellow  in  his  way." 

"I  am  sure  he  is  not,  Ernest;  he  has  a  cruel,  bad  look. 
I  would  not  have  been  that  fellow's  fag  at  school  for  any 
money." 

"Well,  it's  fortunate,  Harry,  that  you  are  not  likely  to 
see  much  of  him,  else  I  should  expect  to  see  you  flying 
at  his  neck  and  strangling  him  as  you  did  the  hound." 

Harry  joined  in  the  laugh. 

"I  will  restrain  myself,  Ernest;  and  beside,  he  would 
bean  awkward  customer;  there's  plenty  of  strength  in 
those  shoulders  of  his,  and  he  looks  active  and  sinewy  in 
spite  of  that  indolent  air  he  puts  on;  but  there  is  the 
horn,  it  is  time  for  us  to  mount." 

In  a  few  minutes  some  thirty  gentlemen  were  in  the 
saddle,  the  marquis,  who  was  grand  louvetier  of  the  prov- 
ince, blew  his  horn,  and  the  whole  cavalcade  got  into 
motion,  raising  their  hunting  caps,  as  they  rode  off,  to 
the  marquise  and  her  daughters,  who  were  standing  on 
the  step  of  the  chateau  to  see  them  depart.     The  dogs 


40  IW  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

had  already  been  sent  forward  to  the  forest,  which  was 
some  miles  distant. 

On  arriving  there  the  marquis  found  several  woodmen, 
who  had  been  for  the  last  two  days  marking  the  places 
most  frequented  by  the  wolves.  They  had  given  their 
reports  and  the  party  were  just  starting  when  a  young 
forester  rode  up. 

"Monsieur  le  marquis,"  he  said,  "I  have  good  news 
for  you;  the  demon  wolf  is  in  the  forest.  I  saw  him 
making  his  way  along  a  glade  an  hour  since  as  I  was  on 
my  way  hither.  I  turned  back  to  follow  him,  and 
tracked  him  to  a  ravine  in  the  hills  choked  with  under- 
growth.." 

The  news  created  great  excitement. 

"The  demon  wolf!"  the  marquis  repeated.  "Are  you 
sure?" 

"Quite  sure,  monsieur.  How  could  I  mistake  it!  I 
saw  him  once  four  years  ago,  and  no  one  who  had  once 
done  so  could  mistake  any  other  wolf  for  him." 

"We  are  in  luck  indeed,  gentlemen,"  the  marquis 
said.  "We  will  see  if  we  can't  bring  this  fellow's  career 
to  an  end  at  last.  I  have  hunted  him  a  score  of  times 
myself  since  my  first  chase  of  him,  well-nigh  fifteen  years 
ago,  but  he  has  always  given  us  the  slip." 

"And  will  again,"  an  old  forester,  who  was  standing 
close  to  Harry,  muttered.  "I  do  not  believe  the  bullet 
is  cast  which  will  bring  that  wolf  to  earth." 

"What  is  this  demon  wolf?"  Harry  asked  Ernest. 

"It  is  a  wolf  of  extraordinary  size  and  fierceness.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  the  terror  of  the  mothers  of  this 
part  of  France.  He  has  been  known  to  go  into  a  village 
and  boldly  carry  off  an  infant  at  midday.  Every  child 
who  has  been  killed  by  wolves  for  years  is  always  sup- 
posed to  have  been  slain  by  this  wolf.     Sometimes  he  is 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  41 

seen  in  one  part  of  the  province  and  sometimes  in 
another. 

"For  months  he  is  not  heard  of.  Then  there  is 
slaughter  among  the  young  lambs.  A  child  going  to 
school,  or  an  old  woman  carrying  home  a  fagot  from  the 
forest  is  found  torn  and  partly  devoured,  and  the  news 
spreads  that  the  demon  wolf  has  returned  to  the  neigh- 
borhood. Great  hunts  have  over  and  over  again  been 
got  up  specially  to  slay  him,  but  he  seems  to  lead  a 
charmed  life.  He  has  been  shot  at  over  and  over  again, 
but  he  seems  to  be  bullet-proof. 

"The  peasants  regard  him  not  as  an  ordinary  wolf  but 
as  a  demon,  and  mothers  quiet  their  children  when  they 
cry  by  saying  that  if  they  are  not  good  the  demon  wolf 
will  carry  them  off.  Ah,  if  we  could  kill  him  to-day  it 
would  be  a  grand  occasion!" 

"Is  there  anything  particular  about  his  appearance?" 

"Nothing  except  his  size.  Some  of  those  who  have 
seen  him  declare  that  he  is  as  big  as  three  ordinary 
wolves;  but  my  father,  who  has  caught  sight  of  him 
several  times,  says  that  this  is  an  exaggeration,  though 
he  is  by  far  the  largest  wolf  he  ever  saw.  He  is  lighter 
in  color  than  other  wolves,  but  those  who  saw  him  years 
ago  say  that  this  was  not  the  case  then,  and  that  his  light 
color  must  be  due  to  his  great  age." 

The  party  now  started,  under  the  guidance  of  the  for- 
.ester,  to  the  spot  where  he  had  seen  the  wolf  enter  the 
underwood. 

It  was  the  head  of  a  narrow  valley.  The  sides  which 
inclosed  it  sloped  steeply,  but  not  too  much  so  for  the 
wolf  to  climb.  During  the  last  halt  the  marquis  had 
arranged  the  plan  of  action.  He  himself,  with  three  of 
the  most  experienced  huntsmen,  took  their  stations  across 
the  valley,  which  was  but  seventy  or  eighty  yards  wide. 


42  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Eight  of  the  others  were  to  dismount  and  take  post  on 
either  side  of  the  ravine. 

"I  am  sorry,  gentlemen,  that  I  cannot  find  posts  for  the 
rest  of  you,  but  you  may  have  your  share  of  the  work. 
Over  and  over  again  this  wolf  iias  slipped  away  when  we 
thought  we  had  him  surrounded,  and  what  he  has  done 
before  he  may  do  again.  Therefore,  let  each  of  you  take 
up  such  a  position  as  he  thinks  best  outside  our  circle, 
but  keeping  well  behind  trees  or  other  shelter,  so  as  to 
cover  himself  from  any  random  shot  that  may  be  fired 
after  the  wolf.  Do  you,  on  your  part,  fire  only  when  the 
wolf  has  passed  your  line,  or  you  may  hit  some  of  us. " 

The  two  lads  were. naturally  among  those  left  out  from 
the  inner  circle. 

"What  do  you  think,  Ernest;  shall  we  remain  on  our 
horses  here  in  the  valley  or  climb  the  hills?" 

"I  should  say  wait  here,  Harry;  in  the  first  place, 
because  it  is  the  least  trouble,  and  in  the  second,  because 
I  think  he  is  as  likely  to  come  this  way  as  any  other.  At 
any  rate  we  may  as  well  dismount  here,  and  let  the  horses 
crop  that  piece  of  fresh  grass  until  we  hear  the  horn  that 
will  tell  us  when  the  dogs  have  been  turned  into  the 
thicket  to  drive  him  out." 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  they  heard  the  distant  note 
of  the  horn. 

"They  have  begun,"  Ernest  exclaimed;  "we  had  bet- 
ter mount  at  once.  If  the  brute  is  still  there  he  is  just 
as  likely,  being  such  an  old  hand  at  the  sport,  to  make  a 
bolt  at  once,  instead  of  waiting  until  the  dogs  are  close 
to  him." 

"What  are  we  to  do  if  we  see  him?"  Harry  asked. 

"We  are  to  shoot  him  if  we  can.  If  we  miss  him,  or 
he  glides  past  us  before  we  can  get  a  shot,  we  must  follow 
shouting,  so  as  to  guide  the  rest  as  to  the  direction  he  is 
taking. ' ' 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  43 

"My  chance  of  hitting  him  is  not  great,"  Harry  said. 
*'I  am  not  a  very  good  shot  even  on  my  feet;  but  sitting 
in  my  saddle  I  do  not  think  it  likely  I  should  get  any- 
where near  him." 

A.  quarter  of  an  hour  passed.  The  occasional  note  of  a 
•dog  and  the  shouts  of  the  men  encouraging  them  to  work 
their  way  through  the  dense  thicket  could  be  heard,  but 
no  sound  of  a  shot  met  their  ears. 

"Either  he  is  not  there  at  all,  or  he  is  lying  very 
■close,"  Ernest  said. 

"Look,  look!"  Harry  said  suddenly,  pointing  through 
the  trees  to  the  right. 

"That  is  the  wolf,  sure  enough,"  Ernest  exclaimed. 
^'Come  along." 

The  two  lads  spurred  their  horses  and  rode  recklessly 
through  the  trees  toward  the  great  gray  beast,  who 
seemed  to  flit  like  a  shadow  past  them. 

"Mind  the  boughs,  Ernest,  or  you  will  be  swept  from 
your  saddle.     Hurrah!  the  trees  are  more  open  in  front. " 

But  although  the  horses  were  going  at  the  top  of  their 
speed  they  scarcely  seemed  to  gain  on  the  wolf,  who,  as 
it  seemed  to  them,  kept  his  distance  ahead  without  any 
great  exertion. 

"We  shall  never  catch  him,"  Harry  exclaimed  after 
they  had  ridden  for 'nearly  half  an  hour,  and  the  labored 
panting  of  the  horses  showed  that  they  could  not  long 
maintain  the  pace. 

Suddenly,  ten  yards  ahead  of  the  wolf,  a  man,  armed 
with  a  hatchet,  stepped. out  from  behind  a  tree  directly 
in  its  way.  He  was  a  woodcutter  whose  attention  being 
called  by  the  sound  of  the  galloping  feet  of  the  horses, 
had  left  his  half-hewn  tree  and  stepped  out  to  see  who 
was  coming.  He  gave  an  exclamation  of  surprise  and 
alarm  as  he  saw  the  wolf,  and  raised  his  hatchet  to  defend 


44  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

himself.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  the  animal 
sprang  upon  him  and  carried  him  to  the  ground,  fixing 
its  fangs  into  his  throat.  There  was  a  struggle  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  the  wolf  left  its  lifeless  foe  and  was 
about  to  continue  its  flight. 

"Get  ready  to  fire,  Harry,"  Ernest  exclaimed  as  the 
wolf  sprang  upon  the  man,  "it  is  our  last  chance.  If  he 
gets  away  now  we  shall  never  catch  him. " 

They  reined  in  their  horses  just  as  the  wolf  rose  to  fly. 
Harry  fired  first,  hut  the  movement  of  his  panting  horse 
deranged  his  aim  and  the  bullet  flew  wide.  More  accus- 
tomed to  firing  on  horseback,  Ernest's  aim  was  truer;  he 
struck  the  wolf  on  the  shoulder,  and  it  rolled  over  and 
over.  With  a  shout  of  triumph  the  boys  dashed  forward, 
but  when  they  were  within  a  few  paces  the  wolf  leaped 
to  its  feet  and  endeavored  to  .spring  toward  them. 
Harry's  horse  wheeled  aside  so  sharply  that  he  was  hurled 
from  the  saddle. 

The  shock  was  a  severe  one,  and  before  he  could  rise  to 
his  feet  the  wolf  was  close  upon  him.  He  tried  as  he 
rose  to  draw  his  hunting-sword,  but  before  he  could  do 
so,  Ernest,  who  had,  when  he  saw  him  fall,  at  once  leaped 
from  his  horse,  threw  himself  before  him,  and  dealt  the 
wolf  a  severe  blow  on  the  head  with  his  weapon. 

Furious  with  rage  and  pain  the  wolf  sprang  upon  him 
and  seized  him  by  the  shoulder.  Ernest  dropped  his 
sword,  and  drawing  his  hunting-knife  struck  at  it,  while 
at  the  same  moment  Harry  ran  it  through  the  body. 

So  strong  and  tenacious  of  life  was  the  animal  that  the 
blows  were  repeated  several  times  before  it  loosed  its 
hold  of  Ernest's  shoulder  and  fell  dead. 

"Are  you  hurt,  my  dear  Ernest?"  was  Harry's  first 
exclamation. 

"Oh,  never  mind  that,  that's  nothing, "  Ernest  replied. 


IF  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  45 

"Only  think,  Harry,  you  and  I  have  killed  the  demon 
wolf,  and  no  one  else  had  a  hand  in  it.  There  is  a  tri- 
umph for  us." 

"The  triumph  is  yours,  Ernest,"  Harry  said.  "He 
would  have  got  away  had  you  not  stopped  him  with 
your  bullet,  and  he  would  have  made  short  work  of 
me  had  you  not  come  to  my  rescue,  for  I  was  half- 
stunned  with  the  fall,  and  he  would  have  done  for  me  as 
quickly  as  he  did  for  that  poor  fellow  there." 

"That  is  true,  Harry,  but  it  was  you  who  gave  him  his 
mortal  wound.  He  would  have  mastered  me  otherwise. 
He  was  too  strong  for  me,  and  would  have  borne  me  to 
the  ground.  No,  it's  a  joint  business,  and  we  have  both 
a  right  to  be  proud  of  it.  Now  let  us  fasten  him  on  my 
horse;  but  before  we  do  that,  you  must  bind  up  my 
shoulder  somehow.  In  spite  of  my  thick  doublet  he  has 
bit  me  very  sharply.  But  first  let  us  see  to  this  poor 
fellow.     I  fear  he  is  dead." 

It  was  soon  seen  that  nothing  could  be  done  for  the 
woodman,  who  had  been  killed  almost  instantly.  Harry, 
therefore)  proceeded  to  cut  off  Ernest's  coat-sleeve  and 
bathed  the  wound.  The  flesh  was  badly  torn,  and  the 
arm  was  so  useless  that  he  thought  that  some  bones  were 
broken.  Having  done  his  best  to  bandage  the  wound, 
he  strapped  the  arm  firmly  across  the  body,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent its  being  shaken  by  the  motion  of  the  riding.  It 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  they  were  able  to  lift 
the  body  of  the  wolf,  but  could  not  lay  it  across  the 
horse,  as  the  animal  plunged  and  kicked  and  refused  to 
allow  it  to  be  brought  near.  Ernest  was  able  to  assist 
but  little,  for  now  that  the  excitement  was  over  he  felt 
faint  and  sick  with  the  pain  of  his  wound. 

"I  think  you  had  better  ride  off,  Harry,  and  bring 
some  one  to  our  assistance.  I  will  wait  here  till  you 
come  back." 


46  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"I  don't  like  to  do  that,"  Harry  said.  "They  must 
be  seven  or  eight  miles  away,  and  I  may  not  be  able  to 
find  them.  They  may  have  moved  away  to  some  other 
part  of  the  forest.  Ah!  I  have  an  idea!  Suppose  I  cu^ 
a  pole,  tie  ^the  wolf's  legs  together  and  put  the  pole 
through  them ;  then  we  can  hoist  the  pole  up  and  lash  its 
ends  behind  the  two  saddles.  The  horses  may  not  mind 
so  much  if  it's  not  put  upon  their  backs." 

"That  might  do,"  Ernest  agreed;  "but  you  mustn't 
make  the  pole  more  than  six  or  seven  feet  long,  or  we 
shall  have  difficulty  in  riding  between  the  trees." 

The  pole  was  soon  cut  and  the  wolf  in  readiness  to  be 
lifted,  but  the  horses  still  refused  to  stand  steady. 

"Blindfold  them,  Harry,"  Ernest  said  suddenly,  "and 
tie  them  up  to  two  trees  a  few  feet  apart. " 

This  was  soon  done,  and  the  boys  then  patted  and 
soothed  them  until  they  became  quiet.  The  pole  was 
now  lifted,  and  this  time  they  managed  to  lay  it  across 
the  saddles  and  to  lash  it  securely  to  the  cantles.  Then 
they  mounted,  and  taking  the  bandages  off  the  horses* 
eyes  set  out  on  their  way.  The  horses  were  fidgety  at 
first,  but  presently  fell  into  a  quiet  walk. 

For  upward  of  an  hour  they  heard  nothing  of  the 
huntsmen.  Not  a  sound  broke  the  stillness  of  the  forest; 
the  sun  was  shining  through  the  leafless  trees,  and  they 
were  therefore  enabled  to  shape  their  course  in  the  direc- 
tion in  which  they  had  come.  Presently  they  heard  the 
sound  of  a  shot,  followed  by  several  others,  and  then  the 
bay  of  hounds.     The  sound  came  from  their  left. 

"They  have  been  trying  afresh  place, "  Ernest  said, 
"and  I  expect  they  have  come  upon  two  wolves;  one 
they  have  shot,  the  hounds  are  after  the  other." 

They  turned  their  horses'  heads  in  the  direction  of  the 
Sounds,  and  presently  Harry  said : 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  4? 

"They  are  coming  this  way." 

Louder  and  louder  grew  the  sounds  of  the  chase ;  then 
the  deep  tones  of  the  hounds  were  exchanged  for  a  fierce, 
angry  barking. 

"The  wolf  is  at  bay!"  Ernest  exclaimed. 

A  minute  later  some  notes  were  sounded  on  the  horn. 

"That  is  the  mort,  Harry.  We  shall  arrive  before  they 
move  on  again." 

Five  minutes  later  they  rode  into  a  glade  where  a  num- 
ber of  horsemen  were  assembled.  There  was  a  shout  as 
they  were  seen. 

"Why,  Ernest, "  the  marquis  called  as  they  approached, 
"we  thought  you  had  lost  us.  You  have  missed  some 
rare  sport;  but  what's  the  matter  with  your  arm,  and 
what  have  you  got  there?" 

"We  have  got  the  demon  wolf, "  Ernest  replied;  "so 
you  haven't  had  all  the  sport  to  yourselves." 

There  was  a  general  exclamation  of  surprise  and  almost 
incredulity,  and  then  everyone  rode  over  to  meet  them, 
and  when  it  was  seen  that  the  object  "slung  between  the 
two  horses  was  really  the  demon  wolf  there  was  a  shout 
of  satisfaction  and  pleasure.  Again  the  notes  of  the 
mort  rang  out  through  the  woods,  and  everyone  crowded 
round  the  lads  to  congratulate  them  and  to  examine  the 
dead  monster.  Ernest  was  lifted  from  his  horse,  for  he 
was  now  reeling  in  the  saddle,  and  could  not  have  kept 
his  seat  many  minutes  longer.  His  wound  was  carefully 
examined,  and  the  marquis  pronounced  the  shoulder  bone 
to  be  broken.  A  litter  was  made  and  four  of  the  fores- 
ters hoisted  him  upon  their  shoulders,  while  four  others 
carried  the  wolf,  still  slung  on  its  pole,  behind  the 
litter.  While  the  preparations  were  being  made  Harry 
had  given  the  history  of  the  slaying  of  the  wolf,  saying 
that  he  owed  his  life  to  the  quickness  and  courage  of 
Ernest. 


48  -IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"And  I  owe  mine  to  him,"  Ernest  protested  from  the 
bank  where  he  was  lying.  "The  wolf  would  have  killed 
me  had  he  not  slain  it.  I  was  lucky  in  stopping  it  with 
a  ball,  but  the  rest  was  entirely  a  joint  affair." 

The  slaying  of  the  demon  wolf  was  so  important  an 
event  that  no  one  thought  of  pursuing  the  hunt  further 
that  day.  The  other  two  wolves  were  added  to  the  pro- 
cession, but  they  looked  small  and  insignificant;  beside 
the  body  of  that  killed  by  the  boys.  Harry  learned  that 
no  one  had  suspected  that  they  had  gone  in  pursuit  of 
the  wolf.  A  vigilant  lookout  had  been  kept  all  round  the 
thicket,  while  the  dogs  hunted  it  from  end  to  end,  but 
no  signs  had  been  seen  of  it,  and  none  were  .able  to  un- 
derstand how  it  could  have  slipped  between  the  watchers 
unseen. 

After  the  ravine  had  been  thoroughly  beaten  the  party 
had  moved  off  to  another  cover.  On  their  way  there  the 
marquis  had  missed  the  two  boys.  No  one  had  seen 
them,  and  it  was  supposed  that  they  had  loitered  behind 
in  the  forest.  Two  or  three  notes  of  recall  had  been 
blown,  and  then  no  one  had  thought  more  of  the  matter 
until  they  rode  into  the  glade  when  the  second  wolf  had 
just  been  pulled  down  by  the  pack. 

It  was  afternoon  when  the  hunting  party  arrived  at  the 
chateau.  -Before  they  started  homeward  the  marquis  had 
sent  off  two  horsemen;  one  to  Dijon  to  bring  a  surgeon 
with  all  speed  to  the  chateau,  the  other  to  tell  the  mar- 
quise that  Ernest  had  been  hurt,  and  that  everything  was 
to  be  got  in  readiness  for  him;  but  that  she  was  not  to 
make  herself  uneasy,  as  the  injury  was  not  a  serious  one. 
The  messengers  were  charged  strictly  to  say  nothing 
about  the  death  of  the  demon  wolf. 

The  marquise  and  her  daughters  were  at  the  entrance 
as  the  party  arrived.     The  sight  of  the  litter  added  to 


ZZV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  49 

the  anxiety  which  Ernest's  mother  was  feeling,  but  the 
marquis  rode  on  a  short  distance  ahead  to  her. 

"Do  not  be  alarmed,  Julie,"  he  said;  "the  lad  is  not 
very  seriously  hurt.  He  has  been  torn  a  bit  by  a  wolf, 
^nd  has  behaved  splendidly." 

"The  messenger  said  he  had  been  hurt  by  a  wolf, 
Edouard;  but  how  came  he  to  put  himself  in  such  peril?" 

"He  will  tell  you  all  about  it,  my  dear.  Here  he  is  to 
speak  for  himself." 

"Do  not  look  so  alarmed,  mother,"  Ernest  said  as  she 
ran  down  to  the  side  of  the  litter.  "It  is  no  great  harm, 
and  I  should  not  have  minded  it  if  it  had  been  ten  times 
as  bad." 

"Bring  up  the  wolf,"  the  marquis  said,  "and  Harry, 
do  you  come  here  and  stand  by  Ernest's  side.  Madame 
la  marquise,"  he  went  on,  "do  you  see  that  great  gray 
wolf?  That  is  the  demon  wolf  which  has  for  years  been 
the  terror  of  the  district,  and  these  are  its  slayers.  Your 
son  and  M.  Sandwith,  they,  and  they  alone,  have  reaped 
the  glory  which  every  sportsman  in  Burgundy  has  been 
so  long  striving  to  attain ;  they  alone  in  the  forest,  miles 
away  from  the  hunt,  pursued  and  slew  this  scourge  of  the 
province." 

He  put  his  horn  to  his  lips.  The  others  who  carried 
similar  instruments  followed  his  example.  A  trium- 
phant traralira  was  blown.  All  xjresent  took  off  their  hunt- 
ing-caps and  cheered,  and  the  hounds  added  their 
barking  to  the  chorus. 

"Is  it  possible,  Edouard,"  the  marquise  said,  terrified 
at  the  thought  of  the  danger  her  son  must  have  run  in  an 
encounter  with  the  dread  beast,  "is  it  possible  that  these 
two  alone  have  slain  this  dreadful  wolf?" 

"It  is  quite  possible,  my  dear,  since  it  has  been  done, 
though,  had  you  asked  me  yesterday,  I  should  almost 


50  IN  THE  EEION  OF  TERROR. 

have  said  that  it  could  not  be;  however,  there  it  is.. 
Ernest  and  his  brave  young  friend  have  covered  them- 
selves with  glorj" ;  they  will  be  the  heroes  of  the  depart- 
ment. But  we  must  not  stay  talking  here.  "We  must  get 
Ernest  into  bed  as  soon  as  possible.  A  surgeon  will  be 
here  very  shortly.  I  sent  a  messenger  on  to  Dijon  for 
one  at  the  same  time  I  sent  to  you. " 

The  marquis  stayed  outside  for  a  few  minutes  while 
the  domestics  handed  round  great  silver  cups  full  of 
spiced  wine,  and  then  bidding  good-by  to  his  guests 
entered  the  chateau  just  as  the  surgeon  rode  up  to  the 
entrance. 

"Please  tell  us  all  about  it?"  his  daughters  asked  him 
when,  having  seen  the  surgeon  set  the  broken  bone  and 
bandage  the  wound,  operations  which  Ernest  bore  with 
stoical  firmness,  he  went  down  to  the  salon  where  his 
daughters  were  anxiously  expecting  him.  "All  about  it, 
please.  "We  have  heard  nothing,  for  Harry  went  upstairs 
with  Ernest,  and  has  not  come  down  again." 

The  marquis  told  the  whole  story,  how  the  wolf  had 
made  his  escape  unseen  through  the  cordon  round  his 
lair,  and  had  passed  within  sight  of  the  two  boys  some 
distance  away,  and  how  they  had  hunted  it  down  and 
slain  it.  The  girls  shuddered  at  the  story  of  the  death 
of  the  woodcutter  and  the  short  but  desperate  conflict 
with  the  wolf. 

"Then  Ernest  has  the  principal  honor  this  time,"  the 
eldest  girl  said. 

"It  is  pretty  evenly  divided,"  the  marquis  said. 
"You  see  Ernest  brought  the  wolf  to  bay  by  breaking  its 
shoulder,  and  struck  the  first  blow  as  it  was  flying  upon 
Harry,  who  had  been  thrown  from  his  horse.  Then, 
again,  Ernest  would  almost  certainly  have  been  killed  had 
not  Harry  in  his  turn  come  to  his  assistance  and  dealt  it 


I2T  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  51 

its  mortal  blows.  There  is  not  much  difference,  but  per- 
haps the  chief  honors  rest  with  Ernest." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,  papa,"  Mademoiselle  de  St.  Caux 
said;  "it  is  only  right  the  chief  honor  should  be  with 
your  son  and  not  with  this  English  boy.  He  has  had 
more  than  his  share  already,  I  think." 

"You  would  not  think  so  if  he  had  saved  your  lifey 
sister,"  Jeanne  broke  in  impetuously.  "It  was  very  braver 
of  them  both  to  kill  the  wolf ;  but  I  think  it  was  ever, 
ever  so  much  braver  to  attack  a  great  mad  dog  without 
weapons.     Don't  you  think  so,  papa?" 

"I  don't  think  you  should  speak  so  warmly  to  your 
elder  sister,  Jeanne,"  the  marquis  said ;  "she  is  a  grown- 
up young  lady,  and  you  are  in  the  schoolroom.  Still,  in 
answer  to  your  question,  I  admit  that  the  first  was  very 
much  the  braver  deed.  I  myself  should  have  liked 
nothing  better  than  to  stand  before  that  great  wolf  with 
my  hunting  sword  in  my  hand;  but  although  if  I  had 
been  near  you  when  the  hound  attacked  you  I  should 
doubtless  h-ave  thrown  myself  before  you,  I  should  have 
been  horribly  frightened  and  should  certainly  have  been 
killed;  for  I  should  never  have  thought  of  or  carried  out 
bo  promptly  the  plan  which  Harry  adopted  of  muzzling 
the  animal.  But  there  is  no  need  to  make  comparisons. 
On  the  present  occasion  both  the  lads  have  behaved  with 
great  bravery,  and  I  am  proud  that  Ernest  is  one  of  the 
conquerors  of  the  demon  wolf.  It  will  start  him  in  life 
with  a  reputation  already  established  for  courage.  Now, 
come  with  me  and  have  a  look  at  the  wolf.  I  don't  think 
such  a  beast  was  ever  before  seen  in  France.  I  am  going 
to  have  him  stuffed  and  set  up  as  a  trophy.  He  shall 
stand  over  the  fireplace  in  the  hall,  and  long  after  we 
have  all  mouldered  to  dust  our  descendants  will  point  to 
it  proudly,  telling  how  a  lad  of  their  race,  with  another 
his  own  age,  slew  the  demon  wolf 'of  Burgundy." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Ernest  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  nearly  a  month,  and 
during  this  time  Harry  often  went  long  rides  and  walks 
by  himself.  In  the  evening  the  marquis  frequently 
talked  with  him  over  the  situation  of  the  country,  and 
compared  the  events  which  had  taken  place  with  the 
struggle  of  the  English  parliament  with  the  king. 

"There  was  one  point  of  difference  between  the  two 
cases,"  he  said  one  evening.  "In  England  the  people 
had  already  great  power  in  the  state.  The  parliament 
had  always  been  a  check  upon  the  royal  authority;  and 
it  was  because  the  king  tried  to  overrule  parliament  that 
the  trouble  came  about.  Here  our  kings,  or  at  least  the 
ministers  they  appointed,  have  always  governed;  often 
unwisely,  I  admit,  but  is  it  likely  that  the  mob  would 
govern  better  ?  That  is  the  question.  At  present  they 
seem  bent  on  showing  their  incapacity  to  govern  even 
themselves." 

The  Marquis  de  St.  Caus  had,  in  some  respects,  the 
thoughts  and  opinions  of  the  old  school,  He  was  a 
royalist  pure  and  simple.  As  to  politics,  he  troubled  his 
head  little  about  them.  These  were  a  matter  for  minis- 
ters. It  was  their^business  to  find  a  remedy  for  the  gen- 
eral ills.  As  to  the  National  Assembly,  which  repre- 
sented only  the  middle  class  and  people,  he  regarded  it 
with  contempt. 

"Why,  it  was  from  the  middle  class,"  he  said,  "that 
the  oppressors  of  the  people  were  drawn.  It  is  they  who 
were  farmers-general,  collectors,  and  officials  of  all  kinds. 
It  is  they  who  ground  down  the  nation  and  enriched 
themselves  with  the  spoil.  It  is  not  the  nobles  who 
dirtied  their  hands  with  money  wrung  from  the  poor. 
By  all  means  let  the  middle  class  have  a  share  in  the 
government;  but  it  is  not  a  share  they  desire.  The 
clergy  are  to  have  no  yjpice;  the  nobility  are  to  have  no 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  $& 

voice;  the  king  himself  is  to  be  a  cipher.  All  power  is 
to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  these  men,  the  chosen  of  the 
scum  of  the  great  towns,  the  mere  mouthpieces  of  the 
ignorant  mob.  It  is  not  order  that  these  gentry  are 
organizing,  it  is  disorder." 

Such  w,ere  the  opinions  of  the  marquis,  but  he  was 
tolerant  of  other  views,  and  at  the  gatherings  at  the 
chateau  Harry  heard  opinions  of  all  kinds  expressed. 
During  his  rambles  alone  he  entered  as  much  as  he 
could  into  conversation' with  the  peasants,  with  wood- 
cutters, foresters,  and  villagers.  He  found  that  the  dis- 
tress which  prevailed  everywhere"  was  terrible.  The 
people  scarcely  kept  life  together,  and  many  had  died  of 
absolute  starvation.  He  found  a  feeling  of  despair  every- 
where, and  a  dull  hatred  of  all  who  were  above  them  in 
the  world.  Harry  [had  difficulty  in  making  them  talk, 
and  at  first  could  obtain  only  sullen  monosyllables.  His 
dress  and  appearance  showed  him  to  belong  to  the  hated 
classes,  and  set  them  against  him  at  once ;  but  when  he 
said  that  he  was  English,  and  that  in  England  people 
were  watching  with  great  interest  what  was  passing  in 
France,  they  had  no  hesitation  in  speaking. 

Harry's  motives  in  endeavoring  to  find  out  what  were 
the  feelings  of  the  people  at  large,  were  not  those  of  mere 
curiosity.  He  was  now  much  attached  to  the  marquis 
and  his  family;  and  the  reports  which  came  from  all 
parts  of  France,  as  well  as  from  Paris,  together  with  the 
talk  among  the  visitors  at  the  chateau,  convinced  him 
that  the  state  of  affairs  was  more  serious  than  the  mar- 
quis was  inclined  to  admit.  The  capture  of  the  Bastile 
and  the  slaughter  of  its  defenders — the  massacres  of  per- 
sons obnoxious  to  the  mob,  not  only  in  the  streets  of 
Paris  but  in  those  of  other  great  towns,  proved  that  the 
lower  class,  if  they  once  obtained  the  upper  hand,  were 


.54  J2V  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Teady  to  go  all  lengths;  while  the  number  of  the  nobility 
who  were  flocking  across  the  frontier  showed  that  among 
this  body  there  existed  grievous  apprehensions  as  to  the 
future. 

Harry  had  read  in  a  book  in  the  library  of  the  chateau 
an  account  of  the  frightful  excesses  perpetrated  by  the 
Jacquerie.  That  dreadful  insurrection  had  been  crushed 
out  by  the  armor-clad  knights  of  France ;  but  who  was  to 
undertake  the  task  should  such  a  flame  again  burst  out? 
The  nobles  no  longer  wore  armor,  they  had  no  armed 
retainers ;  they  would  be  a  mere  handful  among  a  multi- 
tude. The  army  had  already  shown  its  sympathy  with 
the  popular  movement,  and  could  not  be  relied  upon. 
That  the  marquis  himself  should  face  out  any  danger 
which  might  come  seemed  to  Harry  right  and  natural ; 
but  he  thought  that  he  was  wrong  not  to  send  his  wife 
and  daughters,  and  at  any  rate  Jules,  across  the  Khine 
until  the  dangers  were  passed.  But  the  marquis  had  no 
fears.  Some  one  had  mentioned  the  Jacquerie  in  one  of 
their  conversations,  but  the  marquis  had  put  it  aside  as 
being  altogether  apart  from  the  question. 

"The  Jacquerie  took  place,"  he  said,  "hundreds  of 
years  ago.  The  people  then  were  serfs  and  little  more 
than  savages.  Can  we  imagine  it  possible  that  at  this 
day  the  people  would  be  capable  of  such  excesses?" 

The  answer  of  the  gentleman  he  addressed  had  weighed 
little  with  the  marquis,  but  Harry  thought  over  it 
seriously. 

"Civilization  has  increased,  marquis,  since  the  days  of 
the  Jacquerie,  but  the  condition  of  the  people  has  im- 
proved but  little.  Even  now  the  feudal  usages  are  scarce 
extinct.  The  lower  class  have  been  regarded  as  animals 
rather  than  men;  and  the  increase  of  civilization  which 
.you  speak  of,  and  from  which  they  have  received  no 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  55 

"benefit,  makes  them  hate  even  more  bitterly  than  of  old 
those  in  position  above  them. 

"I  am  a  reformer;  I  desire  to  see  sweeping  changes; 
I  want  a  good,  wise,  and  honest  government ;  and  I  de- 
sire these  things  because  I  fear  that,  if  they  do  not  come 
peacefully,  they  will  come  in  a  tempest  of  lawlessness 
and  vengeance.'' 

"Well,  they  are  getting  all  they  want,"  the  marquis 
said  peevishly.  "They  are  passing  every  law,  however 
absurd,  that  comes  into  their  heads.  No  one  is  opposing 
them.  They  have  got  the  reins  in  their  own  hands. 
What  on  earth  can  they  want  more?  There  might  have 
been  an  excuse  for  rebellion  and  riot  two  years  since — ■ 
there  can  be  none  now.     What  say  you  abbe?" 

The  abbe  seldom  took  part  in  conversations  on  politics, 
but,  being  now  appealed  to,  he  said  mildly : 

"We  must  allow  for  human  nature,  monsieur.  The 
slave  who  finds  himself  free,  with  arms  in  his  hands,  is 
not  likely  to  settle  down  at  once  into  a  peaceful  citizen. 
Men's  heads  are  turned  with  the  changes  the  last  two 
years  have  brought  about.  They  are  drunk  with  their 
own  success,  and  who  can  say  where  they  will  stop?  So 
far  they  find  no  benefit  from  the  changes.  Bread  is  as 
dear  as  ever,  men's  pockets  are  as  empty.  They  thought 
to  gain  everything — they  find  they  have  got  nothing ;  and 
so  they  will  cry  for  more  and  more  change,  their  fury  will 
run  higher  and  higher  with  each  disappointment,  and 
who  can  say  to  what  lengths  they  will  go?  They  have 
already  confiscated  the  property  of  the  church,  next  will 
come  that  of  the  laity." 

"I  had  no  idea  you  were  such  a  prophet  of  evil,  abbe," 
the  marquis  said  with  an  uneasy  laugh,  while  feelings  of 
gloom  and  anxiety  fell  over  the  others  who  heard  the 
abbe's  words. 


56  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"God  forbid  that  I  should  be  a  prophet!"  the  old  man 
said  gravely.  "I  hope  and  trust  that  I  am  mistaken,  and 
that  He  has  not  reserved  this  terrible  punishment  for 
France.  But  you  asked  me  for  my  opinion,  marquis,  and 
I  have  given  it  to  you." 

Despite  these  forebodings  the  winter  of  1790  passed 
without  disturbance  at  the  chateau. 

In  the  spring  came  news  of  disorder,  pillage,  and  acts 
of  ruffianism  in  various  parts.  Chateaux  and  convents 
were  burned  and  destroyed,  and  people  refused  to  pay 
either  their  taxes  or  rents  to  their  landlords.  In  the 
south  the  popular  excitement  was  greater  than  in  other 
parts.  In  Burgundy  there  was  for  the  most  part  tran- 
quillity ;  and  the  marquis,  who  had  always  been  regarded 
as  an  indulgent  seigneur  by  the  people  of  his  estate,  still 
maintained  that  these  troubles  only  occurred  where  the 
proprietors  had  abused  their  privileges  and  ground  down 
the  people. 


ZZV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  57 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

THE   CLOUDS    GATHER. 

Occasionally  and  at  considerable  intervals  Harry  re- 
ceived letters  from  his  father.  The  latter  said  that  there 
was  great  excitement  in  England  over  the  events  which 
had  taken  place  in  France,  and  that  his  mother  was  ren- 
dered extremely  anxious  by  the  news  of  the  attacks  upon 
chateaux,  and  the  state  of  tumult  and  lawlessness  which 
prevailed.  They  thought  he  had  better  resign  his  situa- 
tion and  return  home. 

Harry  in  his  replies  made  light  of  the  danger,  and  said 
that  after  having  been  treated  so  kindly,  it  would  be 
most  ungrateful  of  him  to  break  the  engagement  he  had 
made  for  three  years,  and  leave  his  friends  at  the  present 
moment.  Indeed,  he,  like  all  around  him,  was  filled 
with  the  excitement  of  the  time.  In  spite  of  the  almost 
universal  confusion  and  disorder,  life  went  on  quietly' 
and  calmly  at  the  chateau.  The  establishment  was 
greatly  reduced  for  few  of  the  tenants  paid  their  rents; 
but  the  absence  of  ceremonial  brought  the  family  closer 
together,  and  the  marquis  and  his  wife  agreed  that  they 
had  never  spent  a  happier  time  than  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer of  1791. 

The  news  of  the  failure  of  the  king's  attempt  at  flight 
on  the  20th  of  June  was  a  great  shock  to  the  marquis. 
"A  king  should  never  fly,"  he  said ;  "above  all  he  should 
never  make  an  abortive  attempt  at  flight.  It  is  lament- 
able that  he  should  be  so  ill-advised." 


58  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

At  the  end  of  September  the  elections  to  the  Legisla- 
tive Assembly,  as  it  was  now  to  be  called,  resulted  in  the 
return  of  men  even  more  extreme  and  violent  than  those 
whom  they  succeeded. 

"We  must  go  to  Paris, "  the  marquis  said  one  day 
toward  the  end  of  October;  "the  place  for  a  French 
nobleman  now  is  beside  the  king." 

"And  that  of  his  wife  beside  the  queen,"  the  marquise 
said  quietly. 

"I  cannot  say  no,"  the  marquis  replied.  "I  wish  you 
could  have  stayed  with  the  children,  but  they  need  fear 
no  trouble  here.  Ernest  is  nearly  seventeen,  and  may 
well  begin,  in  my  absence,  to  represent  me.  I  think  we 
can  leave  the  chateau  without  anxiety,  but  even  were  it 
not  so  it  would  still  be  our  duty  to  go. ' ' 

"There  is  another  thing  I  want  to  speak  to  you  about 
before  we  start,"  the  marquise  said.  "Jeanne  is  no 
longer  a  child,  although  we  still  regard  her  as  one ;  she 
is  fifteen,  and  she  is  graver  and  more  earnest  than  most 
girls  of  her  age.  It  seems  ridiculous  to  think  of  such  a 
thing,  but  it  is  clear  that  she  has  made  this  English  lad 
her  hero.  Do  you  not  think  it  better  that  he  should  go  ? 
It  would  be  unfortunate  in  the  extreme  that  she  should 
get  to  have  any  serious  feelings  for  him." 

"I  have  noticed  it,  too,  Julie, "the  marquis  said,  "and 
have  smiled  to  myself  to  see  how  the  girl  listens  gravely 
to  all  he  says,  but  I  am  not  disposed  to  send  him  away. 
In  the  first  place,  he  has  done  a  great  deal  of  good  to  the 
boys,  more  even  than  I  had  hoped  for.  Ernest  now 
thinks  and  speaks  for  himself,  his  ideas  are  broader,  his 
views  wider.  He  was  fitted  before  for  the  regime  that 
has  passed ;  he  is  rapidly  becoming  fit  to  take  his  part  in 
that  which  is  to  come. 

"In  the  next  place,  my  dear,  you  must  remember  the 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  59 

times  have  changed.  Mademoiselle  Jeanne  de  St.  Caux, 
daughter  of  a  peer  and  noble  of  France,  was  infinitely 
removed  from  the  son  of  an  English  doctor;  but  we  seem 
to  be  approaching  the  end  of  all  things;  and  although  so 
far  the  law  for  the  abolition  of  titles  has  been  disregarded 
here,  you  must  prepare  yourself  to  find  that  in  Paris  you 
will  be  no  longer  addressed  by  your  title,  and  I  shall  be 
Monsieur  de  St.  Caux;  or  maybe  they  will  object  both 
to  the  de  and  the  St.,  and  I  shall  find  myself  plain 
Monsieur  Caux." 

"Oh,  Edouard!"  the  marquise  exclaimed,  aghast. 

"I  am  quite  in  earnest,  my  dear,  I  can  assure  you. 
You  will  say  she  is  still  the  heiress  of  a  portion  of  our 
estates,  but  who  can  say  how  long  the  estates  will  remain 
after  the  title  is  gone?  Just  as  the  gentlemen  of  the 
pave  object  to  titles  because  they  have  none  themselves, 
so  being  penniless  they  will  object  to  property,  and  for 
aught  I  know  may  decree  a  general  division  of  lands  and 
goods." 

"Impossible,  Edouard!" 

"Not  at  all  impossible,  Julie.  The  beggars  are  on 
horseback,  and  they  intend  to  ride.  Last  week  I  called 
in  from  my  bankers  all  the  cash  at  my  disposal,  about 
five  thousand  louis,  and  to-morrow  Du  Tillet  is  going  to 
start  for  Holland.  He  will  hand  it  over  to  a  banker  there 
to  forward  to  Dr.  Sandwith,  to  whom  I  have  written  ask- 
ing him  to  undertake  the  charge.  If  jrou  will  take  my 
advice  you  will  forward  at  the  same  time  all  your 
jewelry.  If  things  go  wrong  it  will  keep  us  in  our  old 
age  and  furnish  a  dot  for  our  daughters. 

"The  jewels  of  the  St.  Caux  have  always  been  con- 
sidered as  equal  to  those  of  any  family  in  France,  and  are 
certainly  worth  half  a  million  francs  even  to  sell.  Keep 
a  few  small  trinkets,  and  send  all  the  others  away.     But 


60  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

I  have  wandered  from  my  subject.  Under  these  circum- 
stances I  think  it  as  well  that  we  should  not  interfere  in 
the  matter  you  speak  of.  Personally  one  could  not  wish 
for  a  better  husband  for  one  of  our  daughters  than  this 
young  Englishman  would  make. 

"His  father  is  a  gentleman,  and  so  is  he,  and  in  such 
times  as  are  coming  I  should  be  glad  to  know  that  one  of 
my  girls  had  such  a  protector  as  he  would  make  her ;  but 
this  is,  as  you  said  at  first,  almost  ridiculous.  He  is 
two  years  older  than  she  is,  but  in  some  respects  she  is 
the  elder;  he  regards  her  as  a  pretty  child,  and  all  his 
thoughts  are  given  to  his  studies  and  his  sports. 

"He  has  something  of  the  English  barbarian  left  in 
him,  and  is  absolutely  indifferent  to  Jeanne's  preference. 
A  French  lad  at  his  age  would  be  nattered.  This  English 
boy  does  not  notice  it,  or  if  he  notices  it  regards  it  as  an 
exhibition  of  gratitude,  which  he  could  well  dispense 
with,  for  having  saved  her  life. 

"You  can  leave  them  with  a  tranquil  heart,  my  dear. 
I  will  answer  for  it  that  never  in  his  inmost  heart  has  the 
idea  of  his  ever  making  love  to  Jeanne  occurred  to  this 
English  lad.  Lastly,  I  should  be  sorry  for  him  to  leave 
because  his  good  spirits  and  cheerfulness  are  invaluable 
at  present.  Ernest  is  apt  to  be  gloomy  and  depressed, 
and  cheerfulness  is  at  a  premium  in  France  at  present. 
Moreover,  should  there  be  any  difficulty  or  danger  while 
we  are  absent  I  trust  very  much  to  that  lad's  good  sense 
and  courage.  That  incident  of  the  dog  showed  how 
quick  he  is  to  plan  and  how  prompt  to  cany  his  plans 
into  effect.  It  may  seem  absurd  when  there  are  several 
of  our  stanch  and  tried  friends  here  to  rely  in  any  way 
on  a  lad,  but  I  do  so.  Not,  of  course,  as  before  our 
faithful  friends,  but  as  one  whose  aid  is  not  to  be 
despised." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  61 

Thus  it  happened  that  on  the  same  day  that  the  mar- 
quis started  for  Paris,  M.  du  Tillet  set  out  from  the  cha- 
teau, taking  with  him  some  trunks  and  packages  which 
appeared  but  of  little  value  and  were  not  likely  to  attract 
attention,  but  which  contained  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  and  the  famous  St.  Caux  jewels. 

Life  at  the  chateau  was  dull  after  the  departure  of  its 
heads.  They  had  few  visitors  now;  the  most  frequent 
among  them  being  Victor  de  Gisons.  The  estates  of  the 
duke,  his  father,  adjoined  those  of  the  marquis,  and 
between  him  and  Marie  a  marriage  had  long  before  been 
arranged  by  their  parents.  For  once  the  inclination  of 
the  young  people  agreed  with  the  wishes  of  the  elders, 
and  they  were  warmly  attached  to  each  other.  No  for- 
mal betrothal,  however,  had  as  yet  taken  place,  the  trouT 
bles  of  the  times  having  caused  its  postponement, 
although  formerly  it  had  been  understood  that  in  the 
present  autumn  the  marriage  should  be  celebrated. 

The  young  count  had  at  the  assembly  of  the  states- 
general  been  a  prominent  liberal,  and  had  been  one  of 
those  who  had  taken  his  seat  with  the  third  estate  and 
had  voted  for  the  abolition  of  the  special  privileges  of 
the  nobility,  but  the  violence  of  the  Assembly  had  alarmed 
and  disgusted  him,  and  in  the  winter  he  had  left  Paris 
and  returned  to  his  father's  estates. 

Ernest  and  Harry  studied  with  the  abbe,  and  fenced 
and  rode  as  usual  with  M.  du  Tillet  after  his  return  from 
Holland.  The  ever-darkening  cloud  weighed  upon  their 
spirits,  and  yet  life  at  the  chateau  was  pleasant.  The 
absence  of  their  parents  and  the  general  feeling  of 
anxiety  knit  the  rest  of  the  family  closer  together.  Much 
of  the  ceremonial  observance  which  had,  on  his  first 
arrival,  surprised  and  amused  Harry  was  now  laid  aside. 
Marie,  happy  in  the  visits  of  her  lover  and  at  the  pros- 


62  i3T  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

pect  of  her  approaching  marriage,  did  her  best  to  make 
the  house  cheerful.  Harry,  who  had  not  much  liked  her 
at  first,  now  found  her  most  pleasant  and  agreeable,  and 
the  younger  girls  walked  in  the  grounds  with  their 
brothers  and  chatted  when  they  were  gathered  in  the 
evening  just  as  Harry's  sisters  had  done  at  home. 
Jeanne  was,  if  the  group  broke  up,  generally  Harry's 
companion.  Ever  since  the  affair  of  the  mad  dog  she 
had  treated  him  as  her  special  friend,  adopting  all  his 
opinions  and  falling  in  with  any  suggestion  he  might 
make  with  a  readiness  which  caused  Ernest  one  day  to 
say  laughingly  to  Harry : 

"One  would  think,  Harry,  that  you  were  Jeanne's 
elder  brother,  not  I.  She  listens  to  you  with  a  good  deal 
more  deference  than  she  does  to  me." 

The  winter  came  and  went.  From  time  to  time  letters 
arrived  from  Paris,  but  the  news  was  always  in  the  same 
strain.  Things  were  going  worse  and  worse,  the  king 
was  little  more  than  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  people 
of  Paris.  The  violence  of  the  Assembly  was  ever  on  the 
increase,  the  mob  of  Paris  were  the  real  masters  of  the 
situation,  the  greater  part  of  the  nobility  had  fled,  and 
any  who  appeared  in  the  streets  were  liable  to  insult. 

The  feeling  in  the  provinces  kept  pace  with  that  in 
Paris.  Committees  were  formed  in  every  town  and  vil- 
lage and  virtually  superseded  the  constituted  authorities. 
Numbers  of  chateaux  were  burned,  and  the  peasants 
almost  universally  refused  any  longer  to  pay  the  dues  to 
their  seigneurs.  But  at  present  none  dreamed  of  per- 
sonal danger.  The  nobles  who  emigrated  did  so  because 
they  found  the  situation  intolerable,  and  hoped  that  an 
army  would  be  shortly  raised  and  set  in  motion  by  foreign 
powers  to  put  down  the  movement  which  constituted  a 
danger  to  kings,  nobles,  and  property  all  over  Europe. 


-  m  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERMOR.  63 

But  as  yet  there  was  nothing  to  foreshadow  the  terrible 
events  which  were  to  take  place,  or  to  indicate  that  a 
movement  which  began  in  the  just  demand  of  an  op- 
pressed people  for  justice  and  fair  treatment,  would 
end  in  that  people  becoming  a  bloodthirsty  rabble,  eager 
to  destroy  all  who  were  above  them  in  birth,  education, 
or  intellect. 

Therefore,  although  the  Marquis  de  St.  Caux  foresaw 
the  possibility  of  confiscation  of  the  property  and  aboli- 
tion of  all  the  privileges  of  the  nobility,  he  was  under  no 
uneasiness  whatever  as  to  the  safety  of  his  children. 
His  instructions  were  precise :  that  if  a  small  party  of 
peasants  attacked  the  chateau,  and  it  was  evident  that  a 
successful  resistance  could  be  made,  M.  du  Tillet  should 
send  word  down  to  the  mayor  of  Dijon  and  ask  for  help, 
and  should,  with  the  servants  of  the  chateau,  defend  it; 
if  it  was  attacked  by  a  large  mob,  no  resistance  was  to 
be  offered,  but  he  was  to  abandon  it  at  once  and  journey 
to  Paris  with  the  children.  But  the  time  went  on  with- 
out disturbance.  In  Dijon  as  elsewhere  a  committee  had 
been  formed  and  had  taken  into  its  hands  the  entire 
control  of  the  management  of  the  town.  At  its  head  was 
the  son  of  the  mayor,  Monsieur  Lebat. 

"I  do  not  understand  that  young  fellow,"  M.  du  Tillet 
said  one  day  on  his  return  from  Dijon.  "I  do  not  like 
him;  he  is  ambitious  and  pushing,  he  is  the  leader  of  the 
advanced  party  in  Dijon,  and  is  in  communication  with 
the  most  violent  spirits  in  Paris,  but  I  am  bound  to  say 
that  he  appears  most  anxious  to  be  of  service  to  the 
family.  "Whenever  I  see  him  he  assures  me  of  his  devo- 
tion to  the  marquis.  To-day,  Mademoiselle  Marie,  he 
prayed  me  to  assure  you  that  you  need  feel  under  no  un- 
easiness, for  that  he  held  the  mob  in  his  hand,  and  would 
answer  for  it  that  no  hostile  movement  should  be  made 


MM 


64  IW  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

against  the  chateau,  and  in  fact,  I  know,  for  I  have  taken 
the  precaution  of  buying  the  services  of  a  man  who  is 
upon  the  committee,  that  Lebat  has  actually  exerted 
himself  to  benefit  us. 

"It  has  several  times  been  urged  by  the  most  violent 
section  that  the  mob  should  be  incited  to  attack  the 
chateau,  but  he  has  each  time  successfully  opposed  the 
proposition.  He  has.  declared  that  while  no  one  is  more 
hostile  than  himself  to  the  privileges  of  seigneury,  and 
while  he  would  not  only  abolish  the  nobles  as  a  class  but 
confiscate  their  possessions,  he  considers  that  in  the  cas& 
of  the  marquis  nothing  should  be  done  until  a  decree  to 
that  effect  is  passed  by  the  Assembly. 

"Until  that  time,  he  argues,  the  people  should  dis- 
criminate. The  chateaux  of  tyrants  should  be  every- 
where leveled  to  the  ground,  but  it  would  be  unworthy 
of  the  people  to  take  measures  of  vengeance  against  those 
who  have  not  notably  ground  down  those  dependent  upon 
them,  and  that  as  the  marquis  has  not  pushed  the  privi- 
lege of  his  class  to  the  utmost,  his  chateau  and  property 
should  be  respected  until  the  Assembly  pass  a  decree 
upon  the  subject." 

"I  am  sure  we  are  much  indebted  to  this  Monsieur 
Lebat,"  Marie  said.  "He  was  here  at  the  hunting  party 
and  seemed  a  worthy  young  man  of  his  class.  Of  course 
he  was  out  of  place  among  us,  but  for  a  man  in  his  posi- 
tion he  seemed  tolerable." 

"Yes,"  Monsieur  du  Tillet  agreed,  but  in  a  somewhat 
doubtful  tone  of  voice.  "So  far  as  assurances  go  there 
is  nothing  to  be  desired,  and  he  has,  as  I  said,  so  far 
acted  loyally  up  to  them,  and  yet  somehow  I  do  not  like 
him.  It  strikes  me  that  he  is  playing  a  game,  although 
what  that  game  is  I  cannot  say.  At  any  rate  I  do  not 
trust  him;  he  speaks  smoothly,  but  I  think  he  has  a 
double  face,  and  that  he  is  cruel  and  treacherous." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  65 

"That  is  not  like  you,  Monsieur  du  Tillet,"  Marie 
laughed,  "you  who  general^  have  a  good  word  for  every- 
one. It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  hard  upon  the  young 
man,  who  appears  to  be  animated  by  excellent  sentiments 
toward  us." 

Spring  came  again.  M.  du  Tillet  learned  that  the  mob 
of  Dijon  were  becoming  more  and  more  violent,  and  that 
spies  and  watchmen  had  been  told  off  to  see  that  none  of 
the  family  attempted  to  fly  for  the  frontier.  He  therefore 
wrote  to  the  marquis  urging  that  it  would  be  better  that 
the  family  should  move  to  Paris,  where  they  would  be  in 
no  danger.  In  reply  he  received  a  letter  begging  him 
to  start  as  soon  as  the  roads  were  fit  for  travel. 

About  the  same  time  Victor  de  Gisons  received  a  sum- 
mons from  his  father  to  join  him  in  Paris. 

The  messenger  who  brought  the  letter  to  M.  du  Tillet 
brought  one  also  for  Marie  from  the  marquise,  saying  that 
the  heads  of  both  families  were  of  opinion  that  the  mar- 
riage must  be  still  further  postponed,  as  in  the  present 
state  of  affairs  all  private  plans  and  interests  must  be  put 
aside  in  view  of  the  dangers  that  surrounded  the  king. 
Marie  acquiesced  in  the  decision,  and  bade  her  lover  adieu 
calmly  and  bravely. 

"They  are  quite  right,  Victor;  I  have  felt  for  some 
time  that  when  France  was  on  the  verge  of  a  precipice  it 
was  not  the  time  for  her  nobles  to  be  marrying.  Noblesse 
oblige.  If  we  were  two  peasants  we  might  marry  and  be 
happy.  As  it  is  we  must  wait,  even  though  we  know 
that  waiting  may  never  come  to  an  end.  I  have  a  con- 
viction, Victor,  that  our  days  of  happiness  are  over, 
and  that  terrible  things  are  about  to  happen.'" 

"But  nothing  that  can  happen  can  separate  us,  Marie." 

"Nothing  but  death,  Victor,"  she  said  quietly. 

"But  surely,  Marie,  you  take  too  gloomy  a  view. 


66  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Death,  of  course,  may  separate  all  lovers;  but  there 
seems  no  reason  that  we  should  fear  him  now  more  than 
at  other  times.  A  few  farmers-general  and  others  who 
have  made  themselves  obnoxious  to  the  mob  have  been 
killed,  but  what  is  that!  There  should  at  least  be  no 
hostility  to  our  order.  Many  of  the  nobles  have  been 
foremost  in  demanding  reforms.  All  have  cheerfully 
resigned  their  privileges.  There  is  no  longer  the  slight- 
est reason  for  hostility  against  us." 

"My  dear  Victor,"  Marie  said  quietly,  "you  do  not  ask 
a  wild  beast  about  to  rend  his  prey  what  is  the  reason  for 
his  actions.  I  hope  I  may  be  wrong;  but  at  least,  dear, 
we  shall  see  each  other  again  before  long,  and,  whatever 
troubles  may  come,  will  share  them.  My  mother  in  her 
letter  yesterday  said  that  she  and  the  marquis  had  deter- 
mined that  we  should  join  them  in  Paris;  for  that 
although  the  disorders  have  abated  somewhat  they  are 
anxious  at  the  thought  of  our  being  alone  here,  and  in 
the  present  position  of  things  they  have  no  hope  of  being 
able  to  leave  the  king.  She  says  my  father  is  very 
indignant  at  the  great  emigration  of  the  nobility  that  is 
going  on.  In  the  first  place,  he  holds  that  they  are 
deserting  their  post  in  the  face  of  the  enemy;  and  in  the 
second  place,  by  their  assemblage  across  the  frontier  and 
their  intrigues  at  foreign  courts  against  France  they  are 
causing  the  people  to  look  with  suspicion  upon  the  whole 
class." 

"You  have  kept  your  good  news  till  the  last,  Marie," 
Victor  said.  "Here  have  we  been  saying  good-by,  audit 
seems  that  we  are  going  to  meet  again  very  shortly." 

"I  have  been  bidding  farewell,"  Marie  said,  "not  to 
you,  but  to  our  dream  of  happiness.  "We  shall  meet  soon, 
but  I  fear  that  will  never  return. " 

"You  are  a  veritable   prophet  of  ill   to-day,  Marie," 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  67 

Victor  said  with  an  attempt  at  gayety.  "Some  day,  I 
hope,  dear,  that  we  shall  smile  together  over  your 
gloomy  prognostication. " 

"I  hope  so,  Victor — I  pray  God  it  may  be  so!" 

A  week  later  three  carriages  arrived  from  Paris  to  con- 
vey the  family  there ;  and  upon  the  following  day  the 
whole  party  started;  the  girls,  their  gouvernante,  the 
abbe,  and  some  of  the  female  servants  occupying  the  car- 
riages, Monsieur  du  Tillet,  the  boys,  and  several  of  the 
men  riding  beside  them  as  an  escort. 

They  met  with  no  interruption  on  the  road,  and  arrived 
in  Paris  on  the  last  day  of  April,  1792.  Harry  was  glad 
at  the  change.  The  doings  at  Paris  had  been  the  sub- 
ject of  conversation  and  thought  for  nearly  two  years, 
and  he  had  caught  the  excitement  which  pervaded  France. 
He  was  tired  of  the  somewhat  monotonous  life  in  the 
country,  and  had  for  some  time  been  secretly  longing  to 
be  at  the  center  of  interest,  and  to  see  for  himself  the 
stirring  events,  of  which  little  more  than  a  feeble  echo 
had  reached  them  at  the  chateau. 

The  change  of  life  was  great  indeed ;  the  marquis  had 
thrown  himself  into  the  thick  of  all  that  was  going  on, 
and  his  salon  was  crowded  every  evening  with  those  of 
the  nobility  who  still  remained  in  Paris.  But  be  was 
regarded  as  by  no  means  a  man  of  extreme  views,  and 
many  of  the  leaders  of  the  party  of  the  Gironde  with 
whose  names  Harry  was  familiar  were  also  frequent  visi- 
tors— Poland,  Vergniaud,  Lanjuinais,  Brissot,  Guadet, 
Lebrun  and  Condorcet. 

Harry  was  struck  with  the  variety  of  conversation  that 
went  on  at  these  meetings.  Many  of  the  young  nobles 
laughed  and  chatted  with  the  ladies  with  as  much  gayety 
as  if  the  former  state  of  things  were  continuing  undis- 
turbed; and  an  equal  indifference  to  the  public  state  of 


68  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

things  was  shown  by  many  of  the  elders,  who  sat  down 
and  devoted  themselves  to  cards.  Others  gathered  apart 
in  little  groups  and  discussed  gloomily  and  in  low  tones 
the  events  of  the  day ;  while  others  who  were  more  liberal 
in  their  views  gathered  round  the  deputies  of  the  Gironde 
and  joined  in  their  talk  upon  the  meetings  of  the 
Assembly  and  the  measures  which  were  necessary  to  con- 
solidate the  work  of  reform,  and  to  restore  peace  and 
happiness  to  France. 

The  marquis  moved  from  group  to  group,  equally  at 
home  with  all,  chatting  lightly  with  the  courtiers,  whis- 
pering gravely  with  the  elders,  or  discussing  with  the 
tone  of  the  man  of  the  world  the  views  and  opinions  of 
the  deputies.  Victor  de  Gisons  was  constantly  at  the 
house,  and  strove  by  his  cheerfulness  and  gayety  to  dissi- 
pate the  shade  of  melancholy  which  still  hung  over 
Marie. 

Toward  the  end  of  July  the  Marquis  de  St.  Caux  and 
the  little  body  of  royalists  who  still  remained  faithful  to 
the  king  became  more  and  more  anxious ;  the  position  of 
the  royal  family  was  now  most  precarious;  most  of  the 
troops  in  Paris  had  been  sent  to  the  frontier,  and  those 
left  behind  were  disorganized  and  ready  to  join  the  mob. 
Two  out  of  the  three  Swiss  battalions  had  been  sent 
away,  and  but  one  remained  at  the  Tuileries.  Of  the 
National  Guard  only  the  battalion  of  Filles  St.  Thomas 
and  part  of  the  battalion  of  the  Sairits  Peres  could  be 
trusted  to  defend  the  king.  The  rest  were  opposed  to 
him,  and  would  certainly  join  the  populace. 

On  the  14th  of  July  a  large  number  of  National  Guards 
from  the  provinces  had  arrived  in  Paris;  and  the  battal- 
ion from  Marseilles,  the  most  violent  of  all,  had,  im- 
mediately that  it  arrived  in  the  city,  come  into  collision 
with  one  of  the  loyal  battalions. 


ffl  THE  REIGF  OF  TERROR.      ,  69 

The  royalists  were  wholly  without  organization,  their 
sole  aim  being  to  defend  the  king  should  he  be  in  danger, 
and  if  necessary  to  die  by  his  side. 

On  the  evening  before  the  10th  of  August  the  tocsin 
was  heard  to  sound  and  the  drums  to  beat  to  arms.  All 
day  there  had  been  sinister  rumors  circulating,  but  the 
king  had  sent  privately  to  his  friends  that  the  danger 
was  not  imminent  and  that  he  had  no  need  of  them ;  how- 
ever, as  soon  as  the  alarm  sounded  the  marquis  snatched 
up  a  sword  and  prepared  to  start  for  the  palace.  He 
embraced  his  wife,  who  was  calm  but  very  pale,  and  his 
children.  Ernest  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  with  him, 
but  the  marquis  said : 

"No,  my  son,  my  life  is- the  king's;  but  yours  at  pres- 
ent is  due  to  your  mother  and  sisters." 

It  was  twenty-four  hours  before  he  returned.  His 
clothes  were  torn,  his  head  was  bound  up,  and  one  of  his 
arms  disabled.  The  marquise  gave  a  cry  of  delight  as  he 
entered.  No  one  had  slept  since  he  left,  for  every  hour 
fresh  rumors  of  fighting  had  arrived,  and  the  sound  of 
cannon  and  musketry  had  been  heard  in  the  early  part  of 
the  day. 

"It  is  all  over,  wife!"  he  said.  "We  have  done  our 
best,  but  the  king  will  do  nothing.  "We  cannot  say  we 
have  lost  the  battle,  for  we  have  never  tried  to  win  it; 
but  it  would  be  the  same  thing  in  the  long  run." 

Before  hearing  what  had  passed  the  marquise  insisted 
upon  her  husband  taking  refreshment  and  having  his 
wounds  bound  up  and  attended  to.  When  he  had  finished 
his  meal  the  marquis  began : 

"WTe  had  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  getting  into  the 
Tuileries,  for  the  National  Guard  tried  to  prevent  our 
passing.  However,  we  most  of  us  got  through;  and  we 
found  that  there  were  about  a  hundred  assembled,  almost 


70  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

all  men  of  family.  The  Marshal  de  Maillyled  us  into  the 
ting's  apartment. 

"  'Sire/  he  said,  'here  are  your  faithful  nobles,  eager 
to  replace  your  majesty  on  the  throne  of  your  ancestors.' 
The  National  Guard  in  the  palace  withdrew  at  once, 
leaving  us  alone  with  the  Swiss. 

"We  formed  in  the  courtyard;  and  the  king,  with  his 
hat  in  his  hand,  walked  down  our  ranks  and  those  of  the 
Swiss.  He  seemed  without  fear,  but  he  did  not  speak  a 
word,  and  did  nothing  to  encourage  us.  Several  of  our 
party,  in  trying  to  make  their  way  to  the  palace,  had 
been  murdered,  and  the  mob  cut  off  their  heads  and  put 
them  on  pikes;  and  these  were  paraded  in  the  streets 
within  sight  of  the  windows.  Eoederer,  the  procureur- 
general  of  the  department  of  Paris,  came  to  the  king  and 
pressed  him  to  leave  the  Tuileries. 

"  'There  are  not  five  minutes  to  lose,  sire,'  he  said. 
'There  is  no  safety  for  your  majesty  but  in  the  National 
Assembly." 

"The  queen  resisted;  but  upon  Koederer  saying  that 
an  enormous  crowd  with  cannon  were  coming,  and  that 
delay  would  endanger  the  lives  of  the  whole  of  the  royal 
family,  he  went.  But  he  thought  of  us,  and  asked  what 
was  to  become  of  us.  Eoederer  said  that,  as  we  were  not 
in  uniform,  by  leaving  our  swords  behind  we  could  pass 
through  the  crowd  without  being  recognized.  The  king 
moved  on,  followed  by  the  queen,  Madame  Elizabeth,  and 
the  children.  The  crowd,  close,  and  menacing,  lined  the 
passage,  and  the  little  procession  made  their  way  with 
difficulty  to  the  Assembly. 

"We  remained  in  the  palace,  and  every  moment  the 
throng  around  became  more  and  more  numerous.  The 
cannon  they  brought  were  turned  against  us.  The  first 
door  was  burst  open,  the  Swiss  did  not  fire,  the  populace 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  71 

poured  in  and  mixed  with  us  and  the  soldiers.  Some  one 
fired  a  gun.  Whether  it  was  one  of  the  Swiss  or  one  of 
the  mol5  I  know  not,  but  the  fight  began.  The  Swiss  ia 
good  order  marched  down  the  staircase,  drove  out  the 
mob,  seized  the  cannon  the  Marseillais  had  brought,  and 
turning  them  upon  their  assailants  opened  fire.  The 
mob  fled  in  terror,  and  I  believe  that  one  battalion  would 
have  conquered  all  the  scum  of  Paris  had  not  the  king, 
at  the  sound  of  the  first  shot,  sent  word  to  the  Swiss  to 
cease  firing.  They  obeyed,  and  although  the  mob  kept 
firing  upon  them  from  the  windows,  the  great  part  of 
them  marched  calm,  and  without  returning  a  shot,  to  the 
Assembly,  where,  at  the  order  of  the  king,  they  laid  down 
their  arms  and  were  shut  up  in  the  church  of  the 
Feuillants. 

"A  portion  of  the  Swiss  had  remained  on  guard  in  the 
Tuileries  when  the  main  body  marched  away.  The 
instant  the  palace  was  undefended  the  mob  burst  in. 
Every  Swiss  was  murdered,  as  well  as  many  of  the  ser- 
vants of  the  queen.  The  mob  sacked  the  palace  and  set 
it  on  fire.  "When  the  Swiss  left  we  had  one  by  one  made 
our  way  out  by  a  back  entrance,  but  most  of  us  were 
recognized  by  the  mob  and  were  literally  cut  to  pieces. 
I  rushed  into  a  house  when  assaulted,  and,  slamming  the 
door  behind  me,  made  my  way  out  by  the  back  and  so 
escaped  them,  getting  off  with  only  these  two  wounds; 
then  I  hurried  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  whom  I  had  seen 
murdered  before  my  eyes,  but  his  servants  did  not  know 
of  it,  and  they  allowed  me  to  remain  there  till  dark,  and 
you  see  here  I  am." 

"But  what  has  happened  at  the  Assembly,  and  where 
is  the  king?"  the  marquise  asked,  after  the  first  exclam- 
ation of  horror  at  the  tale  they  had  heard. 

"The  king  and  his  family  are  prisoners  in  the  Temple," 


72  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

the  marquis  said.  "The  Commune  has  triumphed  over 
the  Assembly,  and  a  National  Convention  is  to  be  the 
supreme  power.  The  king's  functions  are  suspended, 
but  as  he  has  not  ruled  for  the  last  three  years  that  will 
make  little  difference.  A  new  ministry  has  been  formed 
with  Danton,  Lebrun,  and  some  of  the  Girondists.  He 
and  his  family  are  handed  over  to  the  care  of  the  Com- 
mune, and  their  correspondence  is  to  be  intercepted. 
A  revolutionary  tribunal  has  been  constituted,  when,  I 
suppose,  the  farce  of  trying  men  whose  only  crime  is 
loyalty  to  the  king  is  to  be  carried  out. 

"We  must  be  prepared,  my  love,  to  face  the  worst. 
Escape  is  now  impossible,  and,  indeed,  so  long  as  the 
king  and  queen  are  alive  I  would  not  quit  Paris;  but  we 
must  prepare  for  sending  the  children  away  if  possible." 


IN  THE  EEIGN  OF  TERROR.  73 


CHAPTEK  V. 

THE      OUTBURST. 

"Monsieur  le  Marquis,"  M.  du  Tillet  exclaimed,  hur- 
rying into  the  salon,  in  which  the  marquis  -with  his 
family  were  sitting,  on  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  August, 
"I  hear  that  it  is  rumored  in  the  street  that  all  the  mem- 
bers of  noble  families  are  to  be  arrested." 

The  room  was  lit  up  as  if  to  receive  company,  but  the 
crowd  which  had  thronged  it  a  fortnight  before  were 
gone.  The  Girondists  had  first  withdrawn,  then  the 
nobles  had  begun  to  fall  off,  for  it  had  become  dangerous 
for  them  to  show  themselves  in  the  streets,  where  they 
were  liable  to  be  insulted  and  attacked  by  the  mob. 
Moreover,  any  meeting  of  known  Eoyalists  was  regarded 
with  suspicion  by  the  authorities,  and  so  gradually  the 
gatherings  had  become  smaller  and  smaller.  ; 

The  only  constant  visitor  now  was  the  Count  de  Gisons, 
but  he  to-night  was  absent.  The  news  was  not  unexpected. 
The  violence  of  the  extremists  of  the  Mountain  had  been 
increasing  daily.  At  the  Cordeliers  and  Jacobin  clubs 
Danton,  Kobespierre,  and  Marat  had  thundered  nightly 
their  denunciations  against  the  aristocrats,  and  it  was 
certain  that  at  any  moment  the  order  for  their  arrest 
might  be  given.  Such  bad  news  had  been  received  of 
the  state  of  feeling  in  the  provinces,  that  it  was  felt  that 
it  would  be  more  dangerous  to  send  the  young  ones  away 
than  to  retain  them  in  Paris,  and  the  marquise  had  been 
a  prey  to  the  liveliest  anxiety  respecting  her  children. 


74  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

It  seemed  impossible  that  there  could  be  any  animosity 
against  them,  but  the  blind  rage  of  the  mob  had  risen  to 
such  a  height  that  it  was  impossible  to  say  what  might 
happen.  Now  that  she  heard  the  blow  was  about  to  fall 
she  drew  her  young  girls  instinctively  to  her,  as  if  to 
protect  them,  but  no  word  passed  her  lips. 

"It  might  still  be  possible  to  fly,"  M.  du  Tillet  went 
on.     "We  have  all  the  disguises  in  readiness." 

"A  Marquis  de  St.  Caux  does  not  fly  from  the  canaille 
of  Paris,"  the  marquis  said  quietly.  "No,  Du  Tillet; 
the  king  and  queen  are  in  prison,  and  it  is  not  for  their 
friends  to  leave  their  post  here  in  Paris  because  danger 
threatens  them;  come  when  they  may,  these  wretches 
will  find  us  here  ready  for  them." 

"But  the  children,  Edouard!"  the  marquise  mur- 
mured. 

"I  shall  stand  by  my  father's  side, "  Ernest  said  firmly. 

"I  do  not  doubt  your  courage,  my  son.  I  wish  now 
that  I  had  long  ago  sent  you  all  across  the  frontier ;  but 
who  could  have  foreseen  that  the  people  of  France  were 
about  to  become  a  horde  of  wild  beasts,  animated  by  hate 
against  all,  old  and  young,,  in  whose  veins  ran  noble 
blood.  However,  although  it  is  the  duty  of  your  mother 
and  I  to  stay  at  our  posts,  it  is  our  duty  also  to  try  and 
save  our  house  from  destruction;  therefore,  Du  Tillet,  I 
commit  my  two  sons  to  your  charge.  Save  them  if  you 
can,  disguise  them  as  you  will,  and  make  for  the  frontier. 
Once  there  you  know  all  the  arrangements  we  have 
already  made." 

"But,  father,"  Ernest  remonstrated. 

"I  can  listen  to  no  argument,  Ernest,"  the  marquis 
said  firmly.  "In  this  respect  my  will  is  law.  I  know 
what  your  feelings  are,  but  you  must  set  them  aside,  they 
must  give  way  to  the  necessity  of  saving  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  France  from  perishing." 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  ?5 

"And  the  girls?"  the  marquise  asked,  as  Ernest  bent 
his  head  in  sign  of  obedience  to  his  father's  orders. 

"I  cannot  think/'  the  marquis  said,  "that  they  will  be 
included  in  the  order  for  our  arrefet.  They  must  go,  as 
arranged,  in  the  morning  to  the  house  of  our  old  servant 
and  remain  quietly  there  awaiting  the  course  of  events. 
They  will  pass  very  well  as  three  of  her  nieces  who  have 
arrived  from  the  country.  You  had  better  send  a  trusty 
servant  to  prepare  her  for  their  coming.  You,  Harry, 
will,  of  course,  accompany  my  sons." 

"Pardon,  marquis,"  Harry  said  quietly,  "I  am  firmly 
resolved  to  stay  in  Paris.  I  may  be  of  assistance  to  your 
daughters,  and  there  will  be  no  danger  to  me  in  remain- 
ing, for  I  have  no  noble  blood  in  my  veins.  Besides,  my 
traveling  with  M.  du  Tillet  would  add  to  his  danger. 
He  will  have  difficulty  enough  in  traversing  the  country 
with  two  boys,  a  third  would  add  to  that  difficulty." 

"I  cannot  help  that,"  the  marquis  said.  "I  ought 
long  ago  to  have  sent  you  home,  and  feel  that  I  have 
acted  wrongly  in  allowing  you  to  remain  so  long.  I 
must  insist  upon  your  accompanying  my  sons." 

"I  am  sorry  to  disobey  you,  monsieur  le  marquis," 
Harry  said  quietly  but  firmly;  "but  from  the  moment  of 
your  arrest  I  shall  be  my  own  master  and  can  dispose  of 
my  actions.  I  am  deeply  sensible  of  all  your  goodness  to 
me,  but  I  cannot  yield,  for  I  feel  that  I  may  be  of  some 
slight  use  here.  There  are  so  many  strangers  in  Paris 
that  there  is  little  fear  of  my  attracting  any  notice.  A 
mouse  may  help  a  lion,  monsieur,  and  it  may  be  that 
though  but  a  boy  I  may  be  able  to  be  of  service  to  mes- 
demoiselles. " 

"Do  not  urge  him  further,  Edouard, "  the  marquise 
said,  laying  a  hand  on  her  husband's  arm  as  he  was  again 
about  to  speak.     "Harry  is  brave  and  thoughtful  beyond 


76  J3T  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

his  years,  and  it  will  be  somewhat  of  a  comfort  to  me  to 
think  that  there  is  some  one  watching  over  our  girls.  I 
thank  you,  Harry,  for  your  offer,  and  feel  sure  that  you 
will  do  all  that  can  possibly  be  done  to  protect  my  girls. 
You  will  be  freer  to  do  so  than  any  of  our  friends,  for 
they  are  likely  to  become  involved  in  our  fate,  whatever 
that  may  be.  Marie,  jtou  will  view  our  English  friend 
as  joint  guardian  with  yourself  over  your  sisters.  Con- 
sult him  should  difficulty  or  danger  arise  as  if  he  were 
your  brother,  and  be  guided  by  his  advice.  And  now, 
girls,  come  with  me  to  my  room,  I  have  much  to  say  to 
you." 

"I  am  glad  my  wife  decided  as  she  did,  Harry,"  the 
marquis  said,  putting  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  when  his 
wife  and  daughters  left  the  room,  "for  I  too  shall  feel 
comfort  in  knowing  that  you  are  watching  over  the  girls. 
Now  leave  us,  for  I  have  much  to  arrange  with  Monsieur 
duTillet." 

After  a  prolonged  talk  with  M.  du  Tillet  the  marquis 
sent  for  Ernest.     As  soon  as  he  entered  the  lad  said : 

"Of  course,  sir,  I  shall  obey  your  commands;  but  it 
seems  to  me  an  unworthy  part  for  your  son  to  play,  to  bo 
flying  the  country  and  leaving  a  stranger  here  to  look 
after  your  daughters." 

"He  is  hardly  a  stranger,  Ernest,"  the  marquis  re- 
plied. "He  has  been  with  us  as  one  of  the  family  for 
two  years,  and  he  risked  his  life  for  your  sisters.  You 
could  not  stay  here  without  extreme  risk,  for  if  your 
name  is  not  already  included  in  the  warrant  for  arrest  it 
speedily  will  be  so,  and  when  they  once  taste  blood  these 
wolves  will  hunt  down  everyone  of  us.  He,  on  the  other 
hand,  might  proceed  openly  through  -the  streets  without 
danger;  nevertheless,  I  would  not  have  kept  him  if  he 
would  have  gone;  but  I  have  no  power  of  controlling 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  7? 

him,  and  ae  he  chooses  to  devote  himself  to  us  I  thank- 
fully accept  his  devotion. 

"And  now,  my  son,  it  may  be  that  after  our  parting 
to-morrow  we  shall  not  meet  again,  for  God  alone  knows 
what  fate  is  in  store  for  us.  I  have  therefore,  some 
serious  advice  to  give  you.  If  anything  happens  to  me, 
you  will,  I  know,  never  forget  that  you  are  the  head  of 
the  family,  and  that  the  honor  of  a  great  name  is  in  your 
keeping;  but  do  not  try  to  strive  against  the  inevitable. 
Adapt  yourself  to  the  new  circumstances  under  which 
you  will  be  placed,  and  lay  aside  that  pride  which  has 
had  much  to  do  with  the  misfortunes  which  are  now 
befalling  us. 

"As  to  your  sisters,  Marie  is  already  provided  for,  that 
is  if  De  Gisons  is  not  included  in  the  order  for  arrest.  I 
have  already  sent  off  a  message  to  him  to  warn  him ;  and 
as  it  has  already  been  arranged  between  us  that  while 
his  father  will  stay  and  face  whatever  will  come,  it  is  his 
duty,  like  yours,  to  escape  the'  danger  which  threatens 
our  class,  I  trust  that  he  will  at  once  endeavor  to  leave  the 
country;  but  I  imagine  that  he  will  stop  in  Paris  until 
some  means  are  devised  for  getting  your  sisters  away. 

"As  to  the  others,  if  you  all  reach  England  and  settle 
down  there  do  not  keep  up  the  class  distinctions  which 
have  prevailed  here.  Marry  your  sisters  to  men  who  will 
protect  and  make  them  happy.  That  these  must  be  gen- 
tlemen goes  without  saying;  but  that  is  sufficient.  For 
example,  if  in  future  time  a  gentleman  of  the  rank  of  our 
English  friend  here,  of  whose  character  you  can  entirely 
approve,  asked  for  the  hand  of  either  of  your  younger  sis- 
ters, do  not  refuse  it.  Kemember  that  such  a  suit  would 
have  the  cordial  approval  of  your  mother  and  myself." 

A  look  of  great  surprise  passed  over  Ernest's  face.  It 
had  seemed  to  him  so  much  a  matter  of  course  that  the 


78  -T-AT  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

ladies  of  his  house  should  marry  into  noble  families  that 
the  idea  of  one  of  them  being  given  to  a  gentleman  be- 
longing to  the  professional  class  was  surprising  indeed. 

"Do  you  really  mean,  sir,  that  if  my  friend  Harry 
were  some  day  to  ask  for  Jeanne's  hand  you  would  ap- 
prove of  the  match?" 

"That  is  exactly  what  I  do  mean,  Ernest.  In  the 
stormy  times  in  which  we  are  living  I  could  wish  no  bet- 
ter protector  for  her.  Were  he  a  Frenchman  in  the  same 
position  of  life,  I  own  that  I  might  view  the  matter  in  a 
different  light;  but,  as  I  have  said,  in  England  the  dis- 
tinction of  classes  is  much  less  marked  than  here ;  and, 
moreover,  in  England  tfliere  is  little  fear  of  such  an  out- 
break of  democracy  as  that  which  is  destroying  France." 

A  few  minutes  later  Monsieur  du  Tillet  entered  with 
the  clothes  which  had  been  prepared  for  the  boys.  They  . 
were  such  as  would  be  worn  by  the  sons  of  workmen ;  he 
himself  was  attired  in  a  blue  blouse  and  trousers.  Jules 
was  aroused  from  the  couch  on  which  he  had  for  the  last 
hour  been  asleep,  and  he  and  Ernest  retired  to  dress 
themselves  in'  their  new  costume,  M.  du  Tillet  accom- 
panying them  to  assist  in  their  toilet.  Both  boys  had 
the  greatest  repugnance  to  the  change,  and  objected  still 
further  when  M.  du  Tillet  insisted  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  that  they  should  cut  their  hair  and  smear  their 
faces  and  hands  with  dirt. 

"My  dear  Monsieur  Ernest,"  he<  said,  "it  would  be 
worse  than  useless  for  you  to  assume  that  attire  unless  at 
the  same  time  you  assumed  the  bearing  and  manners 
appropriate  to  it.  In  your  own  dress  we  might  for  a 
short  time  walk  the  street  without  observation;  but  if 
you  sallied  out  in  that  blouse  with  your  white  hands  and 
your  head  thrown  back,  and  a  look  of  disdain  and  dis- 
gust on  your  face,  the  first  gamin  who  met  you  would  cry 
out:  'There  is  an  aristocrat  in  disguise!' 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  79 

"You  must  behave  as  if  you  were  acting  in  a  comedy. 
You  are  representing  a  lad  of  the  lower  orders.  You 
must  try  to  imitate  his  walk  and  manner.  Shove  your 
hands  deep  in  your  pockets,  shi^fie  your  feet  along  care- 
lessly, let  your  head  roll  about  as  if  it  were  uneasy  on 
your  neck,  round  your  shoulders,  and  slouch  your  head 
forward.  As  to  you,  Jules,  your  role  should  be  imperti- 
nence. Put  your  cap  on  the  wrong  way ;  hold  your  nose 
in  the  air ;  pull  your  short  hair  down  over  your  forehead, 
and  let  some  of  it  spurt  out  through  that  hole  in  your 
cap.  To  be  quite  correct,  you  ought  to  address  jeering 
remarks  to  every  respectable  man  and  woman  you  meet 
in  the  streets;  but  as  you  know  nothing  of  Parisian 
slang,  you  must  hold  your  tongue.  See  how  thoroughly 
I  have  got.  myself  up.  You  would  take  me  for  an  idle 
out-of-elbows  workman  wherever  you-met  me.  I  do  not 
like  it;  but,  as  I  have  to  disguise  myself,  I  try  to  do  it 
thoroughly." 

It  was,  however,  with  a  feeling  of  humiliation  that  the 
boys  presented  themselves  before  the  marquis.  He 
looked  at  them  scrutinizingly. 

"You  will  do,  my  boys,"  he  said  gravely.  "I  should 
have  passed  you  in  the  street  without  knowing  you. 
Now  come  in  with  me  and  say  goocl-by  to  your  mother 
and -sisters.  The  sooner  you  are  out  of  this  hoVise  the 
better,  for  there  is  no  saying  at  what  hour  the  agents  of 
this  canaille  may  present  themselves." 

The  parting  was  a  sad  one  indeed,  but  it  was  over  at 
last,  and  Monsieur  du  Tillet  hurried  the  two  boys  away 
as  soon  as  their  father  returned  with  them. 

"God  bless  you,  Du  Tillet!"  the  marquis  said  as  he 
embraced  his  friend.  "Should  aught  happen  to  ue,  you 
will,  I  know,  be  a  father  to  them." 

"Now,  Harry,"  the  marquis  said  when   he  had  mas- 


80  I&  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

tered  the  emotion  caused  by  the  parting,  which  he  felt 
might  be  a  final  one,  "since  you  have  chosen  to  throw  in 
your  lot  with  ours,  I  will  give  you  a  few  instructions. 
In  the  first  place,  I  have  hidden  under  a  plank  beneath 
my  bed  a  bag  containing  a  thousand  crowns.  It  is  the 
middle  plank.  Count  an  even  number  from  each  leg  and 
the  center  one  covers  the  bag. 

"You  will  find  the  plank  is  loose  and  that  you  can 
raise  it  easily  with  a  knife;  but  wax  has  been  run  in, 
and  dust  swept  over  it,  so  that  there  is  no  fear  of  its  be- 
ing noticed  by  any  who  may  pillage  the  house,  which 
they  will  doubtless  do  after  we  are  arrested.  I  have 
already  sent  an  equal  sum  to  Louise  Moulin.  Here  is 
her  address;  but  it  is  possible  that  you  may  need  money, 
and  may  be  unable  to  communicate  with  my  daughters  at 
her  house ;  at  any  rate  do  you  keep  the  bag  of  money  in 
your  charge. 

"You  had  best  attire  yourself  ?t  once  in  the  oldest  suit 
of  clothes  you  have  got.  My  daughters  will  be  ready  in 
a  few  minutes.  They  are  already  dressed,  so  that  they 
can  slip  out  at  the  back  entrance.  Should  we  be  dis- 
turbed before  morning  I  shall  place  them  under  your 
escort;  for  although  I  hope  that  all  the  servants  are  faith- 
ful, one  can  anwer  for  no  one  in  these  times.  I  would 
send  them  off  now,  but  that  the  sight  of  females  moving 
through  the  streets  at  this  time  of  night  would  be  likely 
to  attract  attention  on  the  part  of  drunken  men,  or  of 
fellows  returning  from  these  rascally  clubs,  which  are 
the  center  and  focus  of  all  the  mischief  that  is  going  on. 

"I  can  give  you  no  further  advice.  You  must  be 
guided  by  circumstances.  If,  as  I  trust,  the  girls  can 
live  undisturbed  and  unsuspected  with  their  mother's 
old  nurse,  it  were  best  that  they  should  remain  there  un- 
til the  troubles  are  finally  over,  and  France  comes  to  her 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  81 

senses  again.  If  -not,  I  must  leave  it  to  you  to  act  for 
the  best.  It  is  a  great  trust  to  place  in  the  hands  of  a 
youth  of  your  age ;  but  it  is  your  own  choosing,  and  we 
-have  every  confidence  in  you." 

"I  will  do  my  best  to  deserve  it,  sir,"  Harry  said 
■quietly;  "but  I  trust  that  you  and  madame  la  marquise 
will  soon  be  able  to  resume  your  guardianship.  I  cannot 
believe  that  although  just  at  present  the  populace  are  ex- 
cited to  fury  by  agitators,  they  can  in  cold  blood  intend 
to  wreak  their  vengeance  upon  all  the  classes  above 
them." 

"I  hope  you  may  be  right,"  the  marquis  said;  "but  I 
fear  that  it  is  not  so.  The  people  are  mad  so  far.  All 
that  has  been  done  has  in  no  way  mitigated  their  suffer- 
ings, and  they  gladly  follow  the  preachings  of  the  arch 
scoundrels  of  the  Jacobin  Club.  I  fear  that  before  all 
this  is  over  France  will  be  deluged  with  blood.  And 
now,  when  you  have  changed  your  clothes  lie  down, 
ready  to  rise  at  a  moment's  notice.  Should  you  hear  a 
tumult,  run  at  once  to  the  long  gallery.  There  my 
daughters  will  join  you,  prepared  for  flight.  Lead  them 
instantly  to  the  back  entrance,  avoiding,  if  possible,  any 
observation  from  the  domestics.  As  these  sleep  on  the 
floor  above,  and  know  nothing  of  the  dangers  which 
threaten  us,  they  will  not  awake  so  quickly,  and  I  trust 
that  you  will  be  able  to  get  out  without  being  seen  by 
any  of  them.  In  that  case,  however  closely  questioned, 
no  one  will  be  able  to  afford  a  clew  by  which  you  can  be 
traced." 

When  he  had  changod  his  clothes  Harry  extinguished 
all  the  lights  in  the  salon,  for  the  marquis  had  long  be- 
fore ordered  all  the  servants  to  retire  to  rest.  Then  he 
opened  the  window  looking  into  the  street  and  took  his 
place  close  to  it.  Sleep  under  the  circumstances  was 
impossible. 


82  IK  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

As  the  Lours  passed  lie  thought  over  the  events  of  the 
last  few  days.  He  was  fully  aware  that  the  task  he  had 
undertaken  might  be  full  of  danger;  but  to  a  healthy 
and  active  English  lad  a  spice  of  danger  is  by  no  means 
a  deterrent.  He  could,  of  course,  have  left  his  employ- 
ment before  the  family  left  their  chateau;  but 'after  his 
arrival  in  Paris  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  him  to 
have  traversed  the  country  and  crossed  the  frontier,  and 
he  thought  that  the  danger  which  he  now  ran  was  not 
much  greater  than  would  have  been  entailed  by  such  a 
step. 

In  the  next  place  he  was  greatly  attached  t©  the  family 
of  the  marquis;  and  the  orgies  of  the  mob  had  filled  him 
with  such  horror  and  disgust  that  he  would  have  risked 
much  to  save  any  unfortunate,  even  a  stranger,  from  their 
hands;  and  lastly,  he  felt  the  fascination  of  the  wild 
excitement  of  the  times,  and  congratulated  himself  that 
he  should  see  and  perhaps  be  an  actor  in  the  astonishing 
drama  which  was  occupying  the  attention  of  the  whole 
civilized  world. 

As  he  sat  there  he  arranged  his  own  plans.  After  see- 
ing his  charge  in  safety  he  would  take  a  room  in  some 
quiet  locality,  alleging  that  he  was  the  clerk  of  a  notary, 
and  would,  in  the  dress  of  one  of  that  class,  or  the  attire 
of  one  of  the  lower  orders,  pass  his  days  in  the  streets, 
gathering  every  rumor  and  watching  the  course  of  events. 

Morning  was  just  breaking  when  he  heard  the  sound  of 
many  feet  coming  along  the  street,  and  looking  out  saw 
a  crowd  of  men  with  torches,  headed  by  two  whose  red 
scarfs  showed  them  to  be  officials.  As  they  reached  the 
entrance  gate  the  men  at  the  head  of  the  procession 
stopped.  Harry  at  once  darted  aavay  to  the  long  gallery, 
and  as  he  did  so  heard  a  loud  knocking  at  the  door.    . 

Scarcely  had  he  reached  the  gallery  when  a  door  at  the 


72V  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  83 

further  end  opened,  and  three  figures,  the  tallest  carry- 
ing a  lamp,  appeared.  The  girls,  too,  had  been  keeping 
•watch  with  their  father  and  mother.  They  were  dressed 
in  the  attire  of  respectable  peasant  girls.  Virginie  was 
•weeping  loudly,  but  the  elder  girls,  although  their  cheeks 
bore  traces  of  the  many  tears  they  had  shed  during  the 
night,  restrained  them  now.  When  they  reached  Harry, 
the  lad,  without  a  word,  took  the  lamp  from  Marie's 
hand,  and  led  the  way  along  the  corridor  and  down  the 
stairs  toward  the  back  of  the  house. 

Everything  was  quiet.  The  knocking,  loud  as  it  was, 
had  not  yet  aroused  the  servants,  and,  drawing  the  bolt 
quietly,  and  blowing  out  the  lamp,  Harry  led  the  way 
into  the  garden  behind  the  house.  Then  for  a  moment 
he  paused.  There  was  a  sound  of  axes  hewing  down  the 
gate  which  led  from  the  garden  into  the  street  behind. 

"Quick,  mesdemoiselles!"  he  said;  "there  is  no  time 
to  lose." 

He  took  the  key  out  of  the  door,  and  closed  and  locked 
it  after  him.  Then  throwing  the  key  among  the  shrubs 
he  took  Virginie's  hand  and  led  the  way  rapidly  toward 
the  gate,  which  was  fortunately  a  strong  one. 

"In  here,  mesdemoiselles,"  he  said  to  Marie,  point- 
ing to  some  shrubs  close  to  the  gate  "They  wilhrush 
straight  to  the  house  when  the  gate  gives  way  and  we 
will  slip  out  quietly.  " 

For  nearly  five  minutes  the  gate,  whieh  was  strongly 
bound  with  iron,  resisted  the  attack  upon  it.  Then  there 
was  a  crash,  and  a  number  of  men  with  torches,  and 
armed  with  muskets  and  pikes,  poured  in.  Virginie  was 
clinging  to  Marie,  who,  whispering  to  her  to  be  calm 
and  brave,  pressed  the  child  closely  to  her,  while  Jeanne 
stood  quiet  and  still  by  the  side  of  Harry,  looking 
through  the  bushes. 


84  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR, 

Some  twenty  men  entered,  and  a  minute  later  there  was 
the  sound  of  battering  at  the  door  through  which  the 
fugitives  had  sallied  out. 

"Now,"  Harry  said,  "let  us  be  going."  Emerging 
from  the  shelter,  a  few  steps  took  them  to  the  gate,  and 
stepping  over  the  door,  which  lay  prostrate  on  the 
ground,  they  turned  into  the  lane. 

"Let  us  run, "  Harry  said;  "we  must  get  out  of  this 
lane  as  soon  as  possible.  We  are  sure  to  have  the  mob 
here  before  long,  and  should  certainly  be  questioned." 

They  hurried  down  the  lane,  took  the  first  turning 
away  from  the  house,  and  then  slackened  their  pace. 
Presently  they  heard  a  number  of  footsteps  clattering  on 
the  pavement;  but  fortunately  they  reached  another 
turning  before  the  party  came  up.  They  turned  down 
and  stood  up  in  a  doorway  till  the  footsteps  had  passed, 
and  then  resumed  their  way. 

"It  is  still  too  early  for  us  to  walk  through  the  streets 
without  exciting  attention,"  Harry  said.  "We  had  bet- 
ter make  down  to  the  river  and  wait  there  till  the  town  is 
quite  astir." 

In  ten  minutes  they  reached  the  river,  and  Harr3r 
found  a  seat  for  them  at  the  foot  of  a  pile  of  timber, 
where  they  were  partially  screened  from  observation. 
Hitherto  the  girls  had  not  spoken  a  word  since  they  had 
issued  from  the  house.  Virginie  was  dazed  and  fright- 
ened by  the  events  of  the  night,  and  had  hurried  along 
almost  mechanically  holding  Marie's  hand.  Marie's  brain 
was  too  full  to  talk;  her  thoughts  were  with  her  father 
and  mother  and  with  her  absent  lover.  She  wondered 
that  he  had  not  come  to  her  in  spite  of  everything.  Per- 
haps he  was  already  a  captive;  perhaps,  in  obedience  to 
his  father's  orders,  he  was  in  hiding,  waiting  events. 
That  he  could,  even  had  his  father  commanded  him,  have 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  85 

left  Paris  as  a  fugitive  without  coming  to  see  her,  did 
not  even  occur  to  her  as  possible. 

"With  these  thoughts  there  was  mingled  a  vague  won- 
der at  her  own  position.  A  few  weeks  since,  petted 
and  cared  for  as  the  eldest  daughter  of  one  of  the  noblest 
families  of  France,  now  a  fugitive  in  the  streets  under 
the  sole  care  of  this  English  boy.  She  had,  the  evening 
before,  silently  sided  with  Ernest.  It  had  seemed  to  her 
wrong  that  he  should  be  sent  away,  and  the  assertion  of 
Harry  that  he  intended  to  stay  and  watch  over  her  and 
her  sisters  seemed  at  once  absurd  and  presumptuous; 
but  she  already  felt  that  she  had  been  wrong  in  that 
opinion. 

The  decision  and  coolness  with  which  he  had  at  once 
taken  the  command  from  the  moment  he  met  them  in  the 
gallery,  and  the  quickness  with  which  he  had  seized  the 
only  mode  of  escape,  had  surprised  and  dominated  her. 
Her  own  impulse,  when  on  opening  the  door  she  heard 
the  attack  that  was  being  made  on  the  gate,  was  to  draw 
back  instantly  and  return  to  the  side  of  her  parents,  and 
it  was  due  to  Harry  only  that  she  and  her  sisters  had  got 
safely  away. 

Hitherto,  although  after  the  incident  of  the  mad  dog 
she  had  exchanged  her  former  attitude  of  absolute  indiffer- 
ence to  one  of  cordiality  and  friendliness,  she  had  regarded 
him  as  a  boy.  Indeed  she  had  treated  and  considered^ 
him  as  being  very  much  younger  than  Ernest,  and  in 
some  repects  she  had  been  justified  in  doing  so,  for  in  his 
light-hearted  fun,  his  love  of  active  exercise,  and  his 
entire  absence  of  any  assumption  of  age,  he  was  far  more 
bo3Tish  than  Ernest.  But  although  her  thoughts  were 
too  busy  now  to  permit  her  to  analyze  her  feelings,  she 
knew  that  she  had  been  mistaken,  and  felt  a  strange  con- 
fidence  in  this  lad  who  had  so    promptly  and    coolly 


86  -kV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

assumed   the   entire    command   of   the   party,    and    had 
piloted  them  with  such  steady  nerve  through  the  danger. 

As  for  Jeanne,  she  felt  no  surprise  and  but  little  alarm. 
Her  confidence  in  her  protector  was  unbounded.  Prompt 
and  cool  as  he  was  himself,  she  was  ready  on  the  instant 
to  obey  his  orders,  and  felt  a  certain  sensation  of  pride 
at  the  manner  in  which  her  previous  c'onfidence  in  him 
was  being  justified. 

After  placing  the  girls  in  their  shelter  Harry  had  left 
them  and  stood  leaning  against  the  parapet  of  the  quay 
as  if  carelessly  watching  the  water,  but  maintaining  a 
vigilant  lookout  against  the  approach  of  danger.  The 
number  of  passers-by  increased  rapidly.  The  washer- 
women came  down  to  the  boats  moored  in  the  stream 
and  began  their  operation  of  banging  the  linen  with 
wooden  beaters.  Market-women  came  along  with  baskets, 
the  hum  and  stir  of  life  everywhere  commenced,  and 
Paris  was  fairly  awake. 

Seeing  that  it  was  safe  now  to  proceed,  Harry  returned 
to  his  companions.  He  had  scarcely  glanced  at  them  be- 
fore, and  now  looked  approvingly  at  their  disguises,  to 
which  the  marquise  had,  during  the  long  hours  of  the 
night,  devoted  the  most  zealous  attention.  Marie  had 
been  made  to  look  older  than  she  was.  A  few  dark  lines 
carefully  traced  on  her  forehead,  at  the  corners  of  her 
eyes  and  mouth,  had  added  many  years  to  her  appear- 
ance, and  she  could  have  passed,  except  to  the  closest 
observer,  as  the  mother  of  Virginie,  whose  dress  was  cal- 
culated to  make  her  look  even  younger  than  she  was. 
The  hands  and  faces  of  all  three  had  been  slightly  tinged 
with  brown  to  give  them  a  sunburned  aspect  in  accordance 
with  their  peasant  dresses,. and  so  complete  was  the  trans- 
formation that  Harry  could  scarcely  suppress  a  start  of 
surprise  as  he  looked  at  the  group. 


m  TEE  BEIGN  OF  TEBBOB.  87 

"It  would  be  safe  now,  mademoiselle,"  he  said  to 
Marie,  "for  us  to  proceed.  There  are  plenty  of  people 
about  in  the  streets;  but  as  the  news  has,  no  doubt, 
already  been  spread  that  the  daughters  of  the  Marquis 
de  St.  Caux  had  left  the  house  before  those  charged  with 
their  father's  arrest  arrived,  it  will  be  better  for  you  not 
to  keep  together.  I  would  suggest  that  you  should  walk 
on  with  Virginie.  I  will  follow  with  Jeanne  a  hundred 
yards  behind,  so  that  I  can  keep  you  in  sight,  and  will 
come  up  if  any  one  should  accost  you." 

Marie  at  once  rose,  and  taking  the  child's  hand  set 
out.  They  had  to  traversed  the  greater  part  of  Paris  to 
reach  their  destination.  It  was  a  trial  for  Marie,  who 
had  never  before  been  in  the  streets  of  Paris  except  with 
her  mother  and  closely  followed  by  two  domestics,  and 
even  then  only  through  the  quiet  streets  of  a  fashionable 
quarter.  However,  she  went  steadily  forward,  tightly 
holding  Virginie 's  hand  and  trying  to  walk  as  if  accus- 
tomed to  them  in  the  thick  heavy  shoes  which  felt  so 
strangely  different  to  those  which  she  was  in  the  habit  of 
wearing. 

From  time  to  time  she  addressed  an  encouraging  word 
to  Virginie  as  she  felt  her  shrink  as  they  approached 
groups  of  men  lounging  outside  the  wine  shops,  for  there 
vras  but  little  work  done  in  Paris,  and  the  men  of  the 
lower  class  spent  their  time  in  idleness,  in  discussion  of 
the  events  of  the  day,  or  in  joining  the  mobs  which,  un- 
der one  pretext  or  another,  kept  the  streets  in  an  uproar. 

Fortunately  Marie  knew  the  way  perfectly,  and  there 
was  no  occasion  for  her  to  ask  for  directions,  for  she  had 
frequently  driven  with  her  mother  to  visit  Louise 
Moulin.  The  latter  occupied  the  upper  floor  of  a  house 
in  a  quiet  quarter  near  the  fortifications  in  the  north- 
western part  of  the  town.     A  message  had  been  sent  to 


88  I2T  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

her  the  night  before,  and  she  was  on  the  lookout  for  her 
visitors,  but  she  did  not  recognize  them,  and  she  uttered 
a  cry  of  surprise  as  Marie  and  Virginie  entered  the  room. 

"Is  it  you,  mademoiselle?"  she  exclaimed  in  great 
surprise;  "and  you,  my  little  angel?  My  eyes  must  be 
getting  old,  indeed,  that  I  did  not  recognize  you ;  but 
you  are  finely  disguised.  But  where  is  Mademoiselle 
Jeanne?" 

"She  will  be  here  in  a  moment,  Louise;  she  is  just 
behind.  But  you  must  not  call  me  mademoiselle ;  you 
must  remember  that  we  are  your  nieces  Marie  and 
Jeanne,  and  that  you  are  our  aunt  Louise  Moulin,  whom 
we  have  come  to  stay  with." 

"I  shall  remember  in  time,"  the  old  woman  said.  "I 
have  been  talking  about  you  to  my  neighbors  for  the  last 
week,  of  how  your  good  father  and  mother  have  died, 
and  how  you  were  going  to  journey  to  Paris  under  the 
charge  of  a  neighbor,  who  was  bringing  a  wagon  load  of 
wine  from  Burgundy,  and  how  you  were  going  to  look 
after  me  and  help  me  in  the  house  since  I  am  getting  old 
and  infirm,  and  the  young  ones  were  to  -stop  with  me  till 
they  were  old  enough  to  go  out  to  service.  Ah,  here  is 
Mademoiselle  Jeanne!" 

"Here  is  Jeanne,"  Marie  corrected;  "thank  God  w& 
have  all  got  here  safely.  This,  Louise,  is  a  young 
English  gentleman  who  is  going  to  remain  in  Paris  at 
present,  and  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  having  got 
us  safely  here." 

"And  your  mother!"  Louise  Moulin  exclaimed,  "the 
darling  lamb  I  nursed,  what  of  her  and  your  father?  I 
fear,  from  the  message  I  got  last  night,  that  some  danger 
threatens  them." 

"They  have,  I  fear,  been  arrested  by  the  sans  culottes/' 
Marie  said  mournfully  as  she  burst  into  tears,  feeling, 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  89 

now  that  the  strain  was  over,  the  natural  reaction  after 
her  efforts  to  be  calm.  For  her  mother's  sake  she  had 
held  up  to  the  last,  and  had  tried  to  make  the  parting  as 
easy  as  possible. 

"The  wretches!"  the  old  woman  said,  stamping  her 
foot.  "Old  as  I  am  I  feel  that  I  could  tear  them  to 
pieces.  But  there  I  am  chattering  away,  and  you  must 
be  faint  with  hunger.  I  have  a  nice  soup  ready  on  the 
fire;  a  plate  of  that  will  do  good  to  you  all.  And  you 
too,  monsieur;  you  will  join  us,  I  hope?" 

Harry  was  nothing  loth,  for  his  appetite  was  always  a 
healthy  one.     When  he  had  finished  he  said : 

"Madame  Moulin,  I  have  been  thinking  that  it  would 
be  an  advantge  if  you  would  take  a  lodging  for  me.  If 
you  would  say  that  a  youth  whose  friends  are  known  to 
you  has  arrived  from  Dijon,  to  make  his  way  in  Paris, 
and  they  have  asked  you  to  seek  a  lodging  for  him,  it 
will  seem  less  strange  than  if  I  went  by  myself.  I  should 
like  it  to  be  near,  so  that  you  can  come  to  me  quickly 
should  anything  out  of  the  way  occur.  I  should  like  to 
look  in  sometimes  to  see  that  all  is  well.  You  could 
mention  to  your  neighbors  that  I  traveled  up  with  the 
same  wagon  with  your  nieces." 

"I  will  do  that  willingly,"  the  old  woman  said;  "but 
first,  my  dears,  you  must  have  some  rest;  come  in  here." 
And  she  led  the  way  to  the  next  room.  "There  is  a  bed 
for  j'ou,  Mademoiselle  Marie,  and  one  for  the  two  young 
ones.  The  room  is  not  like  what  you  are  accustomed  to, 
but  I  dared  not  buy  finer  things,  though  I  had  plenty  of 
money  from  your  mother  to  have  furnished  the  rooms  like 
a  palace ;  but  you  see  it  would  have  seemed  strange  to 
my  neighbors;  but,  at  least,  everything  is  clean  and 
sweet." 

Leaving  the  girls,  who  were  worn  out  with  weariness 
and  anxiety  to  sleep,  she  rejoined  Harry. 


90  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Now,  monsieur,  I  will  do  your  business.  It  is  a  com- 
fort to  me  to  feel  that  some  one  will  be  near  of  whom  I 
can  ask  advice,  for  it  is  a  terrible  responsibility  for  an 
old  woman  in  such,  dreadful  times  as  these,  when  it  seems 
to  me  that  everyone  has  gone  mad  at  once.  What  sort 
of  a  chamber  do  you  want?" 

"Quite  a  small  one,"  Harry  answered,  "just  such  a 
chamber  as  a  young  clerk  on  the  lookout  for  employment 
and  with  his  pocket  very  slenderly  lined  would  desire." 

"I  know  just  such  a  one,"  the  old  woman  said.  "It 
is  a  house  a  few  door  away  and  has  been  tena'nted  by  a 
friend  of  mine,  a  young  workwoman,  who  was  married 
four  days  ago — it  is  a  quiet  place,  and  the  people  keep 
themselves  to  themselves,  and  do  not  trouble  about  their 
neighbors'  affairs." 

"That  will  just  suit  me,"  Harry  said.  "I  suppose 
there  is  no  porter  below,  so  that  I  can  go  in  or  out  with- 
out being  noticed." 

"Oh,  we  have  no  porters  in  this  quarter,  and  you  can 
go  in  and  out  as  you  like." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  matter  was  settled,  and  Harry 
was  installed  in  his  apartment,  which  was  a  little  room 
scantily  furnished,  at  the  top  of  the  house,  the  window 
looking  into  the  street  in  front. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  91 


CHAPTER    VI. 

AN     AN  XI0U8     TIME. 

\ 

Harry  and  the  girls  had  brought  bundles  of  clothes 
with  them  in  their  flight,  as  it  would  have  looked  strange 
had  they  arrived  without  any  clothes  save  those  they 
wore.  Harry  had  brought  with  him  only  underlihen,  as 
he  had  nothing  else  which  would  be  of  service  to  him 
now.  No  sooner  had  Louise  Moulin  left  him  than  he 
went  out  and  purchased,  at  a  second-hand  shop,  a  work- 
man's suit.  This  he  carried  home,  and  dressing  himself 
in  it  descended  the  stairs  again  and  set  out  to  retrace 
his  steps  across  Paris. 

"When  he  reached  the  mansion  of  the  marquis  he  found 
a  crowd  of  people  going  in  and  out.  Those  leaving  the 
house  were  laden  with  articles  of  furniture,  clocks,  pic- 
tures, bedding,  and  other  things.  A  complete  sack  of 
(the  mansion  was  indeed  taking  place.  The  servants  had 
all  fled  after  the  arrest  of  the  marquis  and  his  wife,  and 
the  mob  had  taken  possession  of  the  house.  The  lofty 
mirrors  were  smashed  into  fragments,  the  costly  hang- 
ings torn  down,  and  after  they  had  destroyed  much  of 
the  elaborate  furniture,  every  man  and  woman  began  to 
lay  hands  upon  whatever  they  fancied,  and  the  mansion 
was  already  stripped  of  the  greater  part  of  its  belongings. 

With  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  whistling  carelessly, 
Harry  wandered  from  room  to  room  watching  the  pro- 
ceedings.    Several  barrels  of  wine  had  been  brought  up 


92  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

into  the  salon,  and  round  these  were  gathered  a  number 
of  already  drunken  men,  singing,  shouting  and  dancing. 

"Drink,  drink,  my  gareon,"  a  woman  said,  holding  a 
silver  goblet  full  of  wine  toward  him,  "drink  confusion 
to  the  tyrants  and  liberty  and  freedom  to  the  people." 

Harry  drank  the  toast  without  hesitation,  and  then 
heartsick  at  the  destruction  and  ruin,  wandered  out  again 
into  the  streets.  Knowing  the  anxiety  which  Marie 
would  be  suffering  as  to  the  safety  of  her  lover  he  next 
took  his  way  to  the  mansion  of  the  Due  de  Gisons. 
The  house  was  shut  up,  but  groups  of  men  were  standing 
in  the  road  opposite  talking. 

Sauntering  along  Harry  stopped  near  enough  to  one 
of  these  to  hear  what  they  were  saying.  He  learned  that 
the  duke  had  been  arrested  only  that  morning.  It  had 
been  effected  quietly,  the  doors  had  again  been  locked 
before  those  in  the  neighborhood  knew  what  was  going 
on,  and  a  guard  had  been  left  inside,  partly,  it  was  said, 
in  order  that  the  mansion  might  be  preserved  from  pil- 
lage and  be  used  for  public  purposes,  partly  that  the 
young  count,  who  was  absent,  might  be  arrested  when  he 
returned. 

As  Harry  knew  that  the  duke  had  estates  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Fontainebleau  he  thought  it  probable  that 
Victor  might  have  gone  thither,  and  heat  once  proceeded 
toward  the  gate  by  which  he  would  enter  on  his  return 
thence.  He  sat  down  a  short  distance  outside  the  gate 
and  watched  patiently  for  some  hours  until  he  perceived 
a  horseman  approaching  at  a  gallop,  and  at  once  recog- 
nized Victor  de  Gisons.  Harry  went  forward  on  to  the 
road  and  held  out  his  arms.  The  young  count,  not  recog- 
nizing him,  did  not  check  his  horse,  and  would  have 
ridden  him  down  had  he  not  jumped  aside,  at  the  same 
time  shouting  to  him  by  name  to  stop. 


Iff  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  93 

"What  do  you  want  fellow?"  Victor  exclaimed, 
reining  in  his  horse. 

"You  do  not  recognize  me!"  Harry  said.  "I  am 
Harry  Sandwith,  count,  and  I  am  here  to  warn  you  of  the 
danger  of  proceeding." 

"Why,  what  has  happened?"  Victor  exclaimed  anx- 
iously;  "and  why  are  you  in  this  disguise,  Monsieur 
Sandwith?" 

"A  great  number  of  arrests  have  taken  place  in  the 
night,  among  them  that  of  the  Marquis  de  St.  Caux  and 
your  father.  Men  are  waiting  inside  your  house  to 
arrest  you  as  you  enter. ' ' 

Victor  uttered  an  exclamation  of  anger. 

"That  is  why  I  have  been  sent  away,"  he  said.  "My 
father  had  no  doubt  received  a  warning  of  what  was 
about  to  happen,  and  yesterday  at  noon  he  requested  me 
to  ride  to  his  estate  and  have  an  interview  with  the 
steward  as  to  the  rents.  I  wondered  at  his  sending  me 
so  suddenly,  and,  feeling  uneasy,  rode  there  post-haste, 
saw  the  steward  last  night,  and  started  again  on  a  fresh 
horse  this  morning.  This  accounts  for  it.  He  knew 
that  if  I  were  there  nothing  would  have  induced  me  to 
separate  myself  from  him,  while  by  sending  me  away  he 
left  it  to  me  to  do  as  I  thought  fit  afterward,  trusting 
that  when  I  found  that  he  was  already  imprisoned  I  might 
follow  the  counsel  he  had  urged  upon  me,  to  make  my 
escape  from  the  country.  And  how  about  the  ladies, 
how  about  Marie?" 

"The  marquise  was  conveyed  to  prison  with  the  mar- 
quis. The  three  young  ladies  are  all  safe  with  their 
mother's  old  servant,  Louise  Moulin;  this  is  her  address. 
They  are  in  disguise  as  peasants,  and  no  suspicion  will, 
I  hope,  arise  as  to  their  real  position.  Not  that  the  mar- 
quis thought  it  probable  they  would  be  included  in  the 


94  IN  THE  REIGN-  OF  TERMOR. 

order  of  arrest,  but  he  said  there  was  no  knowing  now  to 
what  lengths  the  mob  might  go,  and  he  thought  it  better 
that  they  should  disappear  altogether  for  the  present. 
Ernest  and  Jules  went  away  in  disguise  with  Monsieur 
du  Tillet.  After  seeing  the  young  ladies  in  safety  this 
morning  I  went  down  to  see  what  had  happened  at  your 
father's  mansion,  in  order  to  assuage  Mademoiselle  de 
St.  Caux's  anxiety  respecting  your  safety,  and  found,  as 
I  expected,  that  the  duke  had  been  arrested,  and  learned 
that  a  party  were  inside  waiting  to  arrest  you  on  your 
return." 

"I  thank  you  indeed, "  Victor  said,  "and  most  warmly. 
I  do  not  know  what  to  do.  My  father  is  most  anxious 
that  I  should  cross  the  frontier,  but  I  cannot  go  so  long 
as  he  and  Marie  are  in  danger." 

"If  you  enter  Paris  as  you  are,"  Harry  said,  "you  are 
certain  to  be  arrested.  Your  only  chance  would  be  to  do 
as  I  have  done,  namely,  to  disguise  yourself  and  take  a 
email  lodging,  where  you  might  live  unsuspected." 

"And  in  that  way  I  can  see  Marie  sometimes,"  Victor 
said. 

"You  could  do  so,"  Harry  agreed,  in  a  somewhat  hesi- 
tating way,  "but  it  would  greatly  add  to  her  danger, 
and,  were  you  detected,  might  lead  to  the  discovery  of 
her  disguise.  Beside,  the  thought  that  you  were  liable 
to  arrest  at  any  time  would  naturally  heighten  the 
anxiety  from  which  she  is  suffering  as  to  the  fate  of  her 
father  and  mother." 

"But  I  cannot  and  will  not  run  away  and  leave  them 
all  here  in  danger,"  Victor  said  passionately. 

"I  would  not  advise  you  to  do  so, "  Harry  replied. 
"I  would  only  suggest,  that  after  seeing  Mademoiselle  de 
St.  Caux  once,  you  should  lead  her  to  believe  that  you 
have  decided  upon  making  for  the  frontier,  and  she  wilL 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  95 

therefore  have  the  happiness  of  believing  that  you  are 
safe,  while  you  are  still  near  and  watching  over  her." 

"That  is  all  very  well,"  Victor  said;  "but  what  opin- 
ion would  she  have  of  me  if  she  thought  me  capable  of 
deserting  her  in  that  way?" 

"You  would  represent  that  you  were  obeying  the 
duke's  orders;  and  beside,  if  you  did  suffer  in  her  opin- 
ion it  would  be  but  temporarily,  for  when  she  learned 
the  truth,  that  you  had  only  pretended  to  leave  in  order 
that  her  position  might  be  the  safer  and  that  her  mind 
•might  be  relieved,  she  could  only  think  more  highly  of 
you.  Beside,  if  necessary,  you  could  at  any  time  again 
present  yourself  before  her." 

"Your  counsel  is  good,  Monsieur  Sandwith,  and  I  will, 
at  any  rate  for  a  time,  follow  it.  As  you  say,  I  can  at 
any  time  reappear.  Where  are  you  lodging?  I  will  take 
a  room  near,  and  we  can  meet  and  compare  notes  and  act 
together." 

Harry  gave  him  his  address. 

"You  have  only  to  walk  upstairs  to  the  top  story.  My 
room  is  the  one  directly  opposite  the  top  of  the  stairs." 

"I  will  call  on  you  to-morrow,"  Victor  said.  "I  will 
ride  my  horse  a  few  miles  back  and  turn  him  loose  in 
some  quiet  place,  and  buy  at  the  first  village  a  blouse 
and  workman's  pantaloons." 

"I  think,"  Harry  said,  "that  would  be  unwise,  count; 
it  would  look  strange  in  the  extreme  for  a  gentleman 
dressed  as  you  are  to  make  such  a  purchase.  You  might 
be  at  once  arrested,  or  a  report  of  the  circumstance 
might  be  sent  into  Paris  and  lead  to  your  discovery.  If 
jrou  will  wait  here  for  half  an  hour  I  will  go  back  and 
buy  you  the  things  you  want  at  the  first  shop  I  come  to 
and  bring  them  out  to  you.  Then  you  can  ride  back  and 
loose  the  horse  as  you  propose ;  but  I  should  advise  you 


96  IF  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

to  hide  the  saddle  and  bridle,  as  well  as  the  clothes  you 
are  now  wearing,  most  carefully.  "Whoever  finds  your 
horse  will  probably  appropriate  it  and  will  say  nothing 
about  it,  so  that  all  clew  to  your  movements  will  be  lost, 
and  it  will  be  supposed  that  you  have  ridden  to  the 
frontier." 

"Peste,  Monsieur  Sandwith!  you  seem  to  have  a  head 
ready  for  all  emergencies.  I  know  what  a  high  opinion 
the  marquis  had  of  you,  and  I  perceive  that  it  is  fully 
justified,  and  consider  myself  as  fortunate  indeed  in  hav- 
ing you  for  a  friend  in  such  a  time  as  the  present." 

"We  have  need  of  all  our  wits,"  Harry  said  quietly. 
"The  marquis  was  good  enough  to  accept  my  offer  to  do 
all  that  I  could  to  look  after  the  safety  of  mesdemoiselles, 
and  if  I  fail  in  my  trust  it  will  not,  I  hope,  be  from  any 
lack  of  care  or  courage." 

The  meeting  had  taken  place  at  a  point  where  it  could 
not  be  observed  from  the  gate,  and  the  count  withdrew  a 
few  hundred  yards  further  away  while  Harry  went  back 
into  Paris.  The  latter  had  no  difficulty  in  purchasing 
the  clothes  required  by  the  count  and  returned  with  them 
in  little  over  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then,  having  seen 
De  Gisons  ride  off,  he  sauntered  back  into  Paris  and 
made  his  way  toward  the  heart  of  the  city. 

Crossing  the  river  he  found  a  vast  crowd  gathered  in 
front  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  The  news  of  the  wholesale 
arrests  which  had  been  made  during  the  night  had  filled 
the  populace  with  joy,  and  the  air  was  full  of  shouts  of 
"Down  with  the  Aristocrats!"  "Vive  Danton!  Vive 
Marat!  Vive  Kobespierre!"  Hawkers  were  selling,  in 
the  crowd,  newspapers  and  broadsheets  filled  with  the 
foulest  attacks,  couched  in  the  most  horrible  language, 
upon  the  king,  the  queen,  and  the  aristocracy. 

At  various  points  men,   mounted  upon  steps  or  the 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  97 

pedestals  of  statues,  harangued  the  mob,  while  from  time 
to  time  the  crowd  opened  and  made  way  for  members  of 
the  city  council,  who  were  cheered  or  hooted  according 
to  their  supposed  sentiments  for  or  against  the  cause  of 
the  people.  After  remaining  there  for  some  time  Harry 
made  his  way  to  the  entrance  to  the  Assembly.  A  crowd 
was  gathered  here,  and  a  tremendous  rush  was  made 
when  the  doors  were  opened.  Harry  managed  to  force 
his  way  in  and  sat  for  some  hours  listening  to  the  debate, 
which  was  constantly  interrupted  by  the  people  in  the 
galleries,  who  applauded  with  frenzy  the  speeches  of 
their  favorite  orators,  the  deputies  of  the  Mountain,  as 
the  bank  of  seats  occupied  by  the  Jacobin  members  was 
named,  and  howled  and  yelled  when  the  Girondists  ven- 
tured to  advocate  moderation  or  conciliation.  I 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  before  the  sitting  was  over, 
and  Harry  was  unable  to  leave  his  place  earlier.  Then 
he  went  and  had  supper  at  a  wine  shop,  and  after  saun- 
tering on  the  boulevards  until  the  streets  began  to  be 
deserted  he  again  crossed  the  river  and  made  his  way  to 
the  mansion.  Not  a  light  was  to  be  seen  in  the  windows 
and  all  was  still  and  quiet.  The  great  door  stood  open. 
The  work  of  destruction  was  complete,  the  house  was 
stripped  of  everything  that  could  be  carried  away. 

Harry  made  his  way  up  to  the  bedroom  of  the  marquis. 
The  massive  bedstead  still  stood  in  its  place,  having 
defied  the  efforts  of  destruction  which  had  proved  suc- 
cessful with  the  cabinets  and  other  furniture.  Sitting 
down  on  the  floor  Harry  counted  the  boards  beneath  the 
bed,  and  then  taking  out  a  strong  knife  which  he  had 
purchased  during  the  day  he  inserted  it  by  the  side  of 
the  middle  board  and  tried  to  raise  it.  It  yielded  with- 
out difficulty  to  his  effort. 

As  soon  as  it  was  lifted  he  groped  in  the  cavity  below 


98  XZT  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

t     % 

it,  and  his  hand  soon  eame  in  contact  with  the  heavy 
bag.  Taking  this  out  and  putting  it  beneath  his  blouse 
he  replaced  the  board  and  made  his  way  downstairs.  He 
felt  too  fatigued  to  walk  across  Paris  again,  and  there- 
fore made  his  way  down  to  the  river  and  curled  himself 
up  for  the  night  at  the  foot  of  the  woodpile  where  the 
girls  had  found  shelter  in  the  morning,  and,  in  spite  of 
the  novelty  of  his  situation,  fell  instantly  asleep. 

It  was  broad  daylight  when  he  woke,  and  an  hour  later 
he  regained  his  lodgings,  stopping  by  the  way  to  break- 
fast at  a  quiet  restaurant  frequented  by  the  better  class 
of  workmen.  As  when  he  had  sallied  out  the  day  before, 
he  was  fortunate  in  meeting  no  one  as  he  made  his  way 
up  the  stairs  to  his  room.  His  first  step  was  to  get  up  a 
board  and  to  deposit  beneath  it  the  bag  of  money.  Then, 
having  changed  his  clothes,  he  went  out  and  made  a 
variety  of  purchases  for  housekeeping,  as  he  did  not  wish 
to  be  obliged  to  take  his  meals  at  places  where  any  one 
sitting  at  the  table  with  him  might  enter  into  conversa- 
tion. 

-  His  French  was  quite  good  enough  to  pass  in  the  salon 
of  the  marquis,  but  his  ignorance  of  the  Parisian  slang 
Bpoken  among  the  working  classes  would  have  rendered 
it  difficulty  for  him  to  keep  up  his  assumed  character 
among  them,  and  would  have  needed  the  fabrication  of 
all  sorts  of  stories  as  to  his  birthplace  and  past  history. 
Although  in  the  position  in  which  he  was  placed  Harry 
felt  that  it  would  be  impossible  always  to  adhere  to  the 
truth,  he  shrank  from  any  falsehoods  that  could  possibly 
be  avoided. 

His  first  duty  in  order  to  carry  out  the  task  he  had  un- 
dertaken was  to  keep  up  his  disguise,  and  this  must  be 
done  even  at  the  cost  of  telling  lies  as  to  his  antecedents ; 
but  he  was  determined  that  he  would  avoid  this  unpleas- 
ant necessity  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  99 

At  nine  o'clock  he  made  his  way  to  the  apartments  of 
Louise  Moulin.  His  entry  was  received  with  a  cry  of 
satisfaction  from  the  girls. 

"What  is  the  news,  Harry?"  Jeanne  exclaimed.  "We 
expected  you  here  yesterday  evening,  and  sat  up  till  ten 
o'clock." 

"I  was  over  the  other  side  of  the  river  discharging  a 
mission  your  father  had  confided  to  me,  and  did  not  get 
back  till  this  morning. ' ' 

"I  knew  he  was  prevented  by  something,"  Jeanne  said 
triumphantly.     "I  told  you  so,  Marie — didn't  I?" 

"Yes,  dear,  I  was  wrong  to  be  impatient;  but  you  will 
forgive  me,  Harry?  You  can  guess  how  I  suffered 
yesterday." 

"It  was  natural  you  should  expect  me,  mademoiselle. 
I  was  sorry  afterward  that  I  did  not  tell  you  when  I  left 
you  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  come  in  the  evening, 
but  indeed  I  did  not  think  of  it  at  the  time. " 

"And  now  for  your  news,  Harry,"  Jeanne  asked  im- 
patiently; "have  you  learned  anything  about  our  father 
and  mother?" 

"I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have  not,  except  that  they  with 
many  others,  were  taken  to  the  prison  of  Bicetre.  But  I 
have  good  news  for  you,  Mademoiselle  Marie.  After  go- 
ing first  to  the  house  and  finding  it  in  the  possession  of 
a  hideous  mob,  who  were  plundering  and  drinking,  I 
went  to  see  what  had  taken  place  at  the  hotel  of  the  Due 
de  Gisons.  I  found  that  he  had,  like  your  father,  been 
arrested  in  the  night.  I  learned  that  the  count  was 
absent,  and  that  a  party  were  inside  in  readiness  to  arrest 
him  on  his  return.  Thinking  it  probable  that  he  might 
have  gone  down  to  their  estate  near  Fontainebleau,  I 
went  out  beyond  the  gate  on  that  road  and  waited  for 
him.     I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  him,  to  warn  him 


100  IK  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

of  his  danger,  and  to  prevent  his  returning  to  the  town. 
He  rode  away  with  a  suit  of  workman's  clothes  I  had  pro- 
cured for  him,  and  was  to  enter  Paris  in  that  disguise  in 
the  evening.  He  is  to  call  on  me  at  ten  o'clock,  and  I 
will  then  conduct  him  hither.  I  thought  it  best  to  come 
in  before  to  let  you  know  that  he  was  coming." 

Marie  burst  into  tears  of  happiness  at  hearing  that  her 
lover  had  escaped  from  the  danger  which  threatened. 
Worn  out  by  the  fatigue  and  anxiety  of  the  previous 
night,  she  had  slept  for  some  hours  after  reaching  the 
shelter  of  the  old  nurse's  roof,  but  she  had  lain  awake  all 
night  thinking  over  the  danger  of  all  those  dear  to  her. 
She  was  now  completely  overcome  with  the  revulsion  of 
feeling. 

"You  are  a  dear  boy,  Harry!"  Jeanne  said  with  frank 
admiration,  while  Marie  sobbed  out  exclamations  of 
gratitude.  "You  do  seem  to  think  about  everything; 
and  now  Marie  knows  that  Victor  is  safe,  I  do  hope  she 
is  going  to  be  more  like  herself.  As  I  tell  her,  they  can- 
not hurt  father  or  mother.  They  have  done  no  wrong, 
and  they  must  let  them  out  of  prison  after  a  time. 
Mamma  said  we  were  to  be  brave ;  and  at  any  rate  I  try 
to  be,  and  so  does  Virginie,  though  she  does  cry  some- 
times. And  now  I  hope  Marie  will  be  cheerful  too,  and 
not  go  about  the  rooms  looking  so  downcast  and 
wretched.  It  seems  to  me  a  miserable  thing  being  in 
love.  I  should  have  thought  Marie  would  have  been  the 
last  person  to  be  downcast,  for  no  one  is  prouder  of 
being  a  St.  Caux  than  she  is." 

"I  shall  be  better  now,  Jeanne,"  Marie  said,  smiling, 
as  she  wiped  away  her  tears.  "You  shall  not  have  any 
reason  to  complain  of  me  in  future." 

"But  do  you  not  think,  Harry,"  she  went  on  with  a 
return   of  her   anxiety,  "that  it  is  very  dangerous   for 


IK  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  101 

Victor  to  come  back  into  Paris?     I  know  that  his  father 
has  long  been  praying  him  to  make  for  the  frontier." 

"I  do  not  think  it  is  -very  dangerous  at  present,  made- 
moiselle, although  it  may  be  better,  if  this  rage  against 
the  aristocrats  increases ;  but  I  hope  that  when  he  has 
once  seen  you,  which  is  his  principal  object  in  returning 
to  Paris,  he  will  carry  out  his  father's  wishes  and  make 
for  the  frontier,  for  his  presence  here  can  be  of  no 
possible  utility." 

"Oh,  I  hope  so,"  Marie  said,  "for  I  am  sure  Victor, 
would  soon  be  found  out,  he  could  never  make  himself 
look  like  one  of  these  canaille." 

"Why  shouldn't  he?"  Jeanne  said  indignantly. 
"Harry  does,  and  he  is  just  as  good-looking  as  Victor." 

Marie  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 

"What  a  champion  you  are,  child,  to  be  sure!  But 
you  are  quite  right.  Clothes,  after  all,  do  go  a  long  way 
toward  making  a  man.  Still,  although  I  think  that  it  is 
dangerous  for  Harry,  I  think  it  will  be  more  dangerous 
for  Victor;  because,  you  see,  he  is  a  man  and  he  has  the 
manner  of  his  race,  and  would  find  it  more  difficult  to 
pass  himself  off  as  a  workman  than  Harry  >  who  has  got 
something  of  English" — and  she  hesitated. 

"Roughness, "  Harry  put  in,  laughing.  "You  are 
quite  right,  mademoiselle.  I  can  assure  you  that  with 
these  thick  shoes  on  I  find  it  quite  natural  for  me  to 
slouch  along  as  the  workmen  do;  and  it  will  be  much 
more  difficult  for  the  count,  who  always  walks  with  his 
head  thrown  back,  and  a  sort  of  air  of  looking  down  upon 
mankind  in  general." 

Marie  laughed  this  time. 

"That  is  a  fair  retort.  Victor  certainly  has  the  grand 
manner.  However,  I  shall  order  him  to  go;  and  if  he 
won't  obey  his  father's  wishes,  he  will  have  to  give  way 
to  mine." 


102  I&  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.     . 

"I  think,  mademoiselle,  that  it  would  be  wiser  for 
-Monsieur  de  Gisons  to  meet  you  elsewhere  than  here. 
The  arrival  of  three  relations  to  stop  with  Madam  Moulin 
is  sure  to  attract  some  little  attention  among  her  neigh- 
bors just  at  first.  You  will  be  the  subject  of  talk  and 
gossip.  My  visit  will  no  doubt  be  noticed,  and  it  will 
be  as  well  that  there  should  not  be  more  material  for 
talk.  The  less  we  attract  attention  the  better.  No  doubt 
many  have  escaped  arrest,  and  there  will  be  a  sharp  look- 
out for,  as  they  will  call  us,  suspicious  persons.  I  should 
propose,  if  you  have  no  objection  to  such  a  course,  that 
you  should  stroll  out  with  your  sisters  and  Louise 
through  the  fields  to  St.  Denis.  The  count  will  be  in 
my  room  in  a  few  minutes.  We  can  keep  a  lookout  from 
my  window  and  follow  you  at  a  distance  until  we  get 
clear  from  observation  beyond  the  gates." 

Marie  looked  at  Madam  Moulin,  who  nodded. 

"That  would  be  the  best  plan,  my  dear.  What  Mon- 
sieur Sandwith  says  is  very  true.  The  less  we  give  the 
neighbors  to  gossip  about  the  better;  for  though  your 
disguises  are  good,  if  sharp  eyes  are  watching  you  they 
may  note  something  in  your  walk  or  air  that  may  excite 
suspicion." 

"That  being  arranged  then  you  must  excuse  me,  for  it 
is'just  the  time  when  the  count  was  to  arrive,  and  I  fancy 
that  he  will  be  before  rather  than  behind  time." 

Indeed,  upon  reaching  the  door  of  his  room  Harry 
found  the  young  count  standing  there. 

"Oh,  it  is  you,  friend  Harry!  I  have  been  here  ten 
minutes,  and  I  began  to  be  afraid  that  something  might 
have  happened  to  you  and  to  imagine  all  sorts  of  things. " 

"It  is  still  three  or  four  minutes  before  the  time  we 
agreed  upon,  Victor,"  Harry  said  in  a  loud  voice,  for  at 
this  moment  one  of  the  other  doors  opened  and  a  woman 
came  out  with  a  basket  in  her  arms. 


m  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  103 

"I  have  been  looking  about  as  usual,  but  without  luck 
so  'far.  I  suppose  you  have  had  no  better  fortune  in 
your  search  for  work?"  He  had  by  this  time  unlocked 
his  door,  and  the  two  entered  together. 

"I  must  call  you  by  your  Christian  name,  count,  and 
win  do  so,  if  you  don't  mind,  when  alone  as  at  other 
times,  otherwise  the  title  might  slip  out  accidentally,  f 
"Will  you,  on  your  part,  call  me  Henri?  As  you  know  the 
marquis  and  his  family  called  me  Harry,  which  is  the 
ordinary  way  in  England  of  calling  any  one  whose  name 
is  Henry,  that  is  unless  he  is  a  soft  sort  of  fellow ;  but  I 
must  ask  them  to  call  me  Henri  now,  Harry  would  never 
do  here." 

"Have  you  seen  them?"  was  the  count's  first  question. 

"I  have  just  left  them,  Victor,  and  if  you  look  out  from 
that  window  into  the  street  you  will  in  a  few  minutes  see 
them  also;  they  are  just  going  for  a  ramble  toward  St. 
Denis,  and  we  will  follow  them.  I  thought  it  safer  not 
to  attract  attention  by  going  to  the  house,  and  I  also 
thought  that  it  would  be  more  pleasant  for  you  to  talk 
to  Mademoiselle  de  St.  Caux  out  there  in  the  fields,  than 
in  a  little  room  with  us  present." 

"Much  more  pleasant;  indeed,  I  was  wondering 
whether  I  should  get  an  opportunity  for  a  few  minutes' 
talk  alone  with  her." 

They  both  took  their  places  at  the  open  window  and 
leaneel  out  apparently  chatting  and  carelessly  watching 
what  was  passing  in  the  street. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  they  saw  Louise  Moulin  and 
the  girls  come  out  of  their  house. 

"We  had  better  come  away  from  the  window  now," 
Harry  said;  "Virginie  might  look  up  and  nod;  we  can't 
be  too  careful." 

They  waited  three  or  four  minutes  to  allow  the  others 


104  IW  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

to  get  well  ahead  and  then  started  out  after  them ;  they 
■walked  fast  until  they  caught  sight  of  the  others,  and 
then  kept  some  distance  behind  until  the  party  had  left 
the  town  and  were  out  among  the  fields  which  lay  be- 
tween Paris  and  St.  Denis.  They  then  quickened  their 
pace  and  were  soon  up  with  them. 

The  greeting  between  the  lovers  was  a  silent  one,  few 
words  were  spoken,  but  their  faces  expressed  their  joy  at 
meeting  again  after  the  perils  through  which  they  had 
passed;  there  was  a  little  pause,  and  then  Harry,  as 
usual,  took  the  lead. 

"I  will  stroll  on  to  St.  Denis  and  back  with  Jeanne  and 
Virginie;  Madam  Moulin  can  sit  down  on  that  log  over 
there,  and  go  on  with  her  knitting;  you,  Victor,  can 
ramble  on  with  mademoiselle  by  that  path  through  the 
field;  we  will  agree  to  meet  here  again  in  an  hour." 

This  arrangement  was  carried  out ;  Jeanne  and  Virginie 
really  enjoyed  their  walk;  the  latter  thought  their  dis- 
guise was  great  fun,  and,  being  naturally  a  little  mimic, 
imitated  so  well  the  walk  and  manner  of  the  country 
children  she  had  seen  in  her  walks  near  the  chateau  that 
her  sister  and  Harry  were  greatly  amused. 

"I  like  this  too,  Harry,"  Jeanne  said.  "It  would  not 
be  nice  to  be  a  peasant  girl  for  many  things;  but  it  must 
be  joyful  to  be  able  to  walk,  and  run,  and  do  just  as  you 
please,  without  having  a  gouvernante  always  with  you  to 
say,  Hold  up  your  head,  Mademoiselle  Jeanne;  Do  not 
swing  your  arms  Mademoiselle  Jeanne;  Please  walk  more 
sedately,  Mademoiselle  Jeanne.  Oh,  it  was  hateful! 
Now  we  might  run,  mightn't  we,  Harry?" 

"Oh,  by  the  way,  Jeanne,  please  call  me  Henri  now; 
Harry  is  English,  and  people  would  notice  directly  if 
you  happened  to  say  it  while  any  one  is  near." 

"I  like  Harry  best,"  Jeanne  said;  "but,  of  course,  I 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  105 

should  not  say  it  before  the  people;  but  may  we  run  just 
for  once?" 

"Certainly  you  may,"  Harry  laughed;  "you  and  Vir- 
ginie  can  have  a  race  to  the  corner  of  that  wall." 

"Come  on,  Yirginie,"  Jeanne  cried  as  she  started,  and 
the  two  girls  ran  at  full  speed  to  the  wall ;  Jeanne,  how- 
ever, completely  distancing  her  younger  sister.  They 
were  both  laughing  when  Harry  came  up. 

"That  is  the  first  timelhave  run  a  race,"  Jeanne  said. 
"I  have  often  wanted  to  try  how  fast  I  could  run,  but  I 
have  never  ventured  to  ask  mademoiselle;  she  would  have 
been  horrified;  but  I  don't  know  how  it  is  Virginie  does 
not  run  faster." 

"Virginie  has  more  flesh,"  Harry  said,  smiling.  "She 
carries  weight,  as  we  should  say  in  England,  while  you 
have  nothing  to  spare." 

"And  she  is  three  years  older,"  Virginie  put  in. 
"Jeanne  is  just  sixteen,  and  I  am  not  thirteen  yet;  it 
makes  a  difference." 

"A  great  deal  of  difference,"  Harry  agreed;  "but  I 
don't  think  you  will  ever  run  as  fast  as  she  does.  That 
will  not  matter,  you  know,"  he  went  on,  as  Virginie 
looked  a  little  disappointed,  "because  it  is  not  likely  that 
you  will  ever  race  again ;  but  Jeanne  looks  cut  out  for  a 
runner — just  the  build,  you  see — tall,  and  slim,  and 
active." 

"Yes,"  Virginie  agreed  frankly,  "Jeanne  has  walked 
ever  so  far  and  never  gets  tired,  while  I  get  dreadfully 
tired ;  mamma  says  sometimes  I  am  quite  a  baby  for  my 
age." 

"Here  are  some  people  coming,"  Harry  said;  "as  we 
pass  them  please  talk  with  a  little  j^0^-  Your  good 
French  would  be  suspicious." 

All  the  children  of  the  marquis,  from  their  visits  among 


106  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

the  peasants'  cottages,  had  picked  up  a  good  deal  of  the 
Burgundian  patois,  and  when  talking  among  themselves 
often  used  the  expressions  current  among  the  peasantry, 
and  they  now  dropped  into  this  talk,  which  Harry  had 
also  acquired,  as  they  passed  a  group  of  people  coming  in 
from  St.  Denis. 

They  walked  nearly  as  far  as  that  town,  and  then 
turned  and  reached  the  point  where  the  party  had  sepa- 
rated a  few  minutes  before  the  expiration  of  the  appointed 
hour. 

The  two  girls  ran  away  to  Louise  Moulin,  and  chatted 
to  her  gayly,  while  Harry  walked  up  and  down  until,  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  later,  the  count  and  Marie  made  their 
appearance.  The  party  stood  talking  together  for  a  few 
minutes ;  then  adieus  were  said  with  a  very  pale  face, 
but  with  firmness  on  Marie's  part,  and  then  the  girls, 
with  Louise,  turned  their  faces  to  Paris,  while  Harry  and 
Victor  remained  behind  until  they  had  got  well  on  their 
way. 

"It  was  hard  to  deceive  her, "  Victor  said;  "but  you 
were  right.  She  insisted  that  I  should  go.  I  seemed  to 
resist,  and  urged  that  it  was  cowardly  for  me  to  run  away 
and  to  leave  her  here  alone,  but  she  would  not  listen  to 
it.  She  said  it  was  a  duty  I  owed  to  my  father  and 
family  to  save  myself,  and  that  she  should  be  wretched 
if  she  thought  I  was  in  Paris  in  constant  danger  of  arrest. 
Finally,  I  had  to  give  way  to  her,  but  it  went  against  the 
grain,  for  even  while  she  was  urging  me  she  must  have 
felt  in  her  heart  it  would  be  cowardly  of  me  to  go. 
However,  she  will  know  some  day  that  Victor  de  Gisons  is 
no  coward." 

"I  am  sure  it  is  better  so,"  Harry  said.  "She  will 
have  anxiety  enough  to  bear  as  to  her  father  and  mother; 
it  is  well  that  her  mind  should  be  at  ease  concerning 
you." 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  107 

"In  reality,"  Victor  said,  "I  shall  be  safer  here  than  I 
should  be  journeying  toward  the  frontier.  The  papers 
this  morning  say  that  in  consequence  of  the  escape  of 
suspected  persons,  and  of  the  emigration  of  the  nobles  to 
join  the  enemies  of  France,  orders  have  been  sent  that 
the  strictest  scrutiny  is  to  be  exercised  on  the  roads 
leading  to  the  frontier,  over  all  strangers  who  may  pass 
through.  .  All  who  cannot  give  a  perfectly  satisfactory 
account  of  themselves  and  produce  their  papers  en  regie, 
ai'e  to  be  arrested  and  sent  to  Paris.  Therefore,  my 
chance  of  getting  through  would  be  small  indeed,  whereas 
while  remaining  in  Paris  there  can  be  little  fear  of  detec- 
tion." 

"Not  much  risk,  I  hope,"  Harry  agreed;  "but  there  is 
no  saying  what  stringent  steps  they  may  take  as  time 
goes  on." 

Victor  had  taken  a  lodging  a  few  houses  from  that  of 
Harry.  Every  day  the  excitement  in  Paris  increased, 
every  day  there  were  fresh  arrests,  until  all  the  prisons 
became  crowded  to  overflowing.  It  was  late  in  August ; 
the  Prusians  were  advancing  and  had  laid  siege  to  Ver- 
dun, and  terror  was  added  to  the  emotions  which  excited 
to  madness  the  population  of  Paris.  Black  flags  were 
hung  from  the  steex  les,  and  Dan  ton  and  his  allies  skill- 
fully used  the  fear  inspired  by  the  foreign  enemy  to  add 
to  the  general  hatred  of  the  Koyalists. 

"We  Republicans."  he  said  in  the  rostrum  of  the  As- 
sembly, "are  exposed  to  two  parties,  that  of  the  enemy 
without,  that  of  the  Royalists  within.  There  is  a  Royal- 
ist directory  which  sits  secretly  at  Paris  and  corresponds 
with  the  Prussian  army.  To  frustrate  it  we  must  terrify 
the  Royalists." 

The  Assembly  decreed  death  against  all  who  directly 
or  indirectly  refused  to  execute  or  hindered  the  orders 


108  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

given  by  the  executive  power.  Rumors  of  conspiracy 
agitated  Paris  arid  struck  alarm  into  people's  minds, 
while  those  who  had  friends  within  the  prison  walls  be- 
came more  and  more  alarmed  for  their  safety. 

On  the  28th  of  August  orders  were  issued  that  all  the 
inhabitants  of  Paris  were  to  stay  in  their  houses  in  order 
tbat  a  visit  might  be  made  by  the  delegates  of  the  Com- 
mune to  search  for  arms,  of  which  Danton  had  declared 
there  were  eighty  thousand  hidden  in  Paris,  and  to 
search  for  suspected  persons.  As  soon  as  the  order  was 
issued  Harry  and  Victor  went  to  their  lodgings,  and  tell- 
ing their  landlords  that  they  had  obtained  work  at  the 
other  end  of  the  town,  paid  their  rent  and  left  the  city, 
and  for  the  next  two  days  slept  in  the  woods. 

They  passed  most  of  their  time  discussing  projects  for 
enabling  their  friends  to  escape,  for  from  the  stringency 
of  the  steps  taken,  and  the  violence  of  the  Commune,  they 
could  no  longer  indulge  in  the  hopes  that  in  a  short  time 
the  prisoners  against  whom  no  serious  charge  could  be 
brought  would  be  released.  At  the  same  time  they  could 
hardly  persuade  themselves  tbat  even  such  men  as  those 
who  now  held  the  supreme  power  in  their  hands  could 
intend  to  take  extreme  measures  against  so  vast  a  num- 
ber of  prisoners  as  were  now  in  custody. 

Victor  and  Harry  knew  that  their  friends  had  at  first 
been  taken  to  the  prison  of  Bicetre,  but  whether  they 
were  still  confined  there  they  were  of  course  ignorant. 
Still  there  was  no  reason  to  suppose  that  they  had  been 
transferred  to  any  of  the  other  jails. 

The  Bicetre  was,  they  had  discovered,  so  strongly 
guarded  that  neither  force  nor  stratagem  seemed  avail- 
able. The  jailers  were  the  creatures  of  Danton  and 
Robespierre,  and  any  attempt  to  bribe  them  would  have 
been  dangerous  in  the  extreme.     Victor  proposed  that. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  109 

as  he  as  well  as  Harry  was  well  provided  with  funds,  for 
he  had  brought  to  Paris  all  the  money  which  the  steward 
of  the  estates  had  collected,  they  should  recruit  a  band 
among  the  ruffians  of  the  city,  and  make  a  sudden  attack 
upon  the  prison.  But  Harry  pointed  out  that  a  numer- 
ous band  would  be  required  for  such  an  enterprise,  and 
that  among  so  many  men  one  would  be  sure  to  turn 
traitor  before  the  time  came. 

"I  am  ready  to  run  all  risks,  Victor,  but  I  see  no 
chance  of  success  in  it.  The  very  first  man  ^we  spoke  to 
might  denounce  us,  and  if  we  were  seized  there  would  be 
no  one  to  look  after  the  safety  of  Mademoiselle  de  St. 
Caux  and  her  sisters.  My  first  duty  is  toward  them.  I 
gave  my  promise  to  their  father,  and  although  it  is  not 
probable  that  I  can  be  of  any  use  to  them,  I  will  at  any 
rate,  if  possible,  be  at  hand  should  occasion  arise." 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th  they  returned  to  Paris, 
and  took  two  fresh  apartments  at  a  distance  from  their 
former  quarters. 

They  were  greatly  anxious  as  to  the  safety  of  the  girls, 
and  Harry  at  once  hastened  there,  but  found  that  all  was 
well.  The  deputies,  learning  from  the  landlord  that  only 
an  old  woman  and  her  nieces  inhabited  the  upper  story, 
and  having  a  heavy  task  before  them,  had  only  paid  a 
short  visit  to  the  room,  and  had  left  after  asking  Louise 
one  or  two  questions. 

The  girls,  however,  were  in  a  state  of  terrible  anxiety 
as  to  their  parents,  although  Louise  had  avoided  repeat- 
ing to  them  the  sinister  rumors  which  came  to  her  ears 
when  she  was  abroad  doing  her  marketing,  for  she  now 
went  out  alone,  thinking  it  better  that  the  girls  should 
appear  as  little  as  possible  in  the  streets. 

"It  is  terrible,"  Marie  said.  "I  think  night  and  day 
of  our  father  and  mother.  Can  nothing  be  done? 
Surely  we  might  devise  some  means  for  their  escape." 


110  IF  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

t 

"lean  think  of  nothing,"  Harry  said.     "The  prisou 

is  too  strong  to  be  taken  without  a  considerable  force, 

and  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  that  together." 

"Could  we  not  bribe  these  wretches?" 

"I  have  thought  over  that  too,"  Harry  replied;  "but, 
you  see,  it  would  be  necessary  to  get  several  men  to 
work  together.  One  might,  perhaps,  bribe  the  man  who 
who  has  charge  of  the  cell,  but  there  would  be  other 
warders,  and  the  guard  at  the  gate,  and  the  latter  are 
changed  every  day.  I  do -not  see  how  that  could  pos- 
sibbT  be  done." 

"Would  it  be  any  use,  do  you  think,  were  I  to  go  to 
Danton  or  Eobespierre  and  plead  with  them  for  their 
lives?  I  would  do  that  willingly  if  you  think  there 
would  be  the  slightest  chance  of  success." 

"It  would  be  like  a  lamb  going  to  plead  with  a  wolf. 
You  would  only  attract  attention  to  them." 

"Could  you  not  get  hold  of  one  of  these  wretches  and 
force  him  to  sign  an  order  for  their  release?"  Jeanne 
suggested. 

"Eh!"  Harry  exclaimed  in  surprise.  "Jsanne,  you 
have  the  best  head  of  us  all.  That  idea  never  occurred 
to  me.  Yes,  that  might  be  possible.  How  stupid  of  me 
not  to  think  of  it!" 

"Do  not  run  into  any  danger,  Harry,"  Marie  said 
earnestly.     "Such  a  scheme  could  hardly  succeed." 

"I  don't  know,  mademoiselle.  I  think  it  might.  I 
will  think  it  over.  Of  course  there  are  difficulties,  but  I 
do  not  see  why  it  should  not  succeed" 

"Certainly  it  will  succeed  if  Harry  undertakes  it," 
Jeanne  said,  with  implicit  trust  in  his  powers. 

Harry  laughed,  and  even  Marie,  anxious  as  she  was, 
could  not  help  smiling. 

"I  will  try  and  deserve  your  confidence,  Jeanne;  but  I 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  Ill 

am  not  a  magician.  But  I  will  talk  it  over  with" — and 
he  hesitated — "with  a  young  fellow  who  is,  like  myself, 
a  Eoyalist,  and  in  disguise.  Luckily,  we  ran  against 
each  other  the  other  day,  and  after  a  little  conversation 
discovered  each  other.  He,  too,  has  relatives  in  prison, 
and  will,  I  am  sure,  join  me  in  any  scheme  I  may  under- 
take. Two  heads  are  better  than  one,  and  four  are  much 
better  than  two  when  it  comes  to  acting.  And  now  I 
must  say  good-night.  I  hope  when  I  see  you  again  I 
shall  be  able  to  tell  you  that  I  have  formed  some  sort  of 
plan  for  their  release." 


112  IW  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTEK  VII. 

THE    SECOND    OP    SEPTEMBER. 

Victor  de  Gisons  was,  as  usual,  waiting  near  the  door 
when  Harry  left  Louise  Moulin 's. 

"What  is  the  news,  Henri?  Nothing  suspicious,  I 
hope?     You  are  out  sooner  than  usual." 

"Yes,  for  I  have  something  to  think  of.  Here  have  we 
been  planning  in  vain  for  the  last  fortnight  to  hit  upon 
son|e  scheme  for  getting  our  friends  out  of  prison,  and 
Jeanne  has  pointed  out  a  way  which  you  and  I  never 
thought  of." 

"What  is  that,  Henri?" 

"The  simplest  thing  in  the  world,  namely,  that  we 
should  seize  one  of  the  leaders  of  these  villains  and  com- 
pel him  to  sign  an  order  for  their  release." 

"That  certainly  seems  possible,"  Victor  said.  "I  won- 
der it  never  occurred  to  either  of  us.  But  how  is  it  to 
be  done?" 

"Ah,  that  is  for  us  to  think  out!  Jeanne  has  given  us 
the  idea,  and  we  should  be  stupid  if  we  cannot  invent 
the  details.  In  the  first  place  we  have  got  to  settle  which 
of  them  it  had  better  be,  and  in  the  next  how  it  is  to  be 
managed.  It  must  be  some  one  whose  signature  the 
people  at  the  prison  would  be  sure  to  obey." 

"Then,"  Victor  said,  "it  must  be  either  Danton  or 
Robespierre. " 

"Or  Marat,"  Harry  added;  "I  think  he  is  as  powerful 
as  either  of  the  others." 


ZZV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  113 

"He  is  the  worst  of  them,  anyhow,"  Victor  said. 
' 'There  is  something  straightforward  about  Danton.  No 
doubt  he  is  ambitious,  but  I  think  his  hatred  of  us  all  is 
real.  He  is  a  terrible  enemy,  and  will  certainly  stick  at 
nothing.  He  is  ruthless  and  pitiless,  but  I  do  not  think 
he  is  double-faced.  Eobespierre  is  ambitious  too,  but  I 
think  he  is  really  acting  according  to  his  principles,  such 
as  they  are.  He  would  be  pitiless,  too,  but  he  would 
murder  on  principle. 

"He  would  sign  unmoved  the  order  for  a  hundred 
heads  to  fall  if  he  thought  their  falling  necessary  or  even 
useful  for  the  course  of  the  Revolution,  but  I  do  not  think 
he  would  shed  a  drop  of  blood  to  satisfy  private  enmity. 
They  call  him  the  'incorruptible.'  He  is  more  danger- 
ous than  Danton,  for  he  has  no  vices.  He  lives  simply, 
and  they  say  is  fond  of  birds  and  pets.  I  do  not  think 
we  should  make  much  of  either  Danton  or  him,  even  if 
we  got  them  in  our  power. 

"Danton  would  be  like  a  wild  beast  in  a  snare.  He 
•would  rage  with  fury,  but  I  do  not  think  that  he  would 
be  intimidated  into  signing  what  we  require,  nor  do  I 
think  would  Eobespierre.  Marat  is  a  different  creature 
altogether.  He  is  simply  venomous.  He  hates  the 
world,  and  wTould  absolutely  rejoice  in  slaughter.  So 
loathsome  is  he  in  appearance  that  even  his  colleagues 
shrink  from  him.  He  is  a  venomous  reptile  whom  it 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  slay,  as  it  would  be  to  put  one's 
heel  upon  a  rattlesnake.  '  Whether  he  is  a  coward  or  not 
I  do  not  know,  but  I  should  think  so.  Men  of  his  type 
are  seldom  brave.  I  think  if  we  had  him  in  our  hands 
we  might  frighten  him  into  doimg  what  we  want." 

"Then  Marat  it  shall  be,"  Harry  said;  "that  much  is 
settled.  To-morrow  we  will  find  out  something  about  his 
habits.     Till  we  know  about  that  we  cannot  form  any 


114  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

plan  whatever.  Let  us  meet  at  dinner-time  at  our  usual 
place.  Then  we  will  go  outside  the  Assembly  and  wait 
till  he  comes  out.  Fortunately  we  both  know  him  well 
by  sight.  He  will  be  sure  to  go,  surrounded,  as  usual, 
by  a  mob  of  his  admirers,  to  the  Jacobin  Club.  From 
there  we  can  trace  him  to  his  home.  No  doubt  any  one 
could  tell  us  where  he  lives,  but  it  would  be  dangerous 
to  ask.  "When  we  have  found  that  out  we  can  decide 
upon  our  next  step." 

They  were,  however,  saved  the  trouble  they  contem- 
plated, for  they  learned  from  the  conversation  of  two  men 
among  the  mob,  who  cheered  Marat  as  he  entered  the 
Assembly,  what  they  wanted  to  know. 

"Marat  is  the  man  for  me, "  one  of  them  said.  "He 
hates  the  aristocracy ;  he  would  bathe  in  their  blood.  I 
never  miss  reading  his  articles  in  the  Friend  of  the 
People.  His  cry  is  always  'Blood!  blood!'  He  does  not 
ape  the  manner  of  the  bourgeois.  He  does  not  wash  his 
face  and  put  on  clean  linen.  He  is  a  great  man,  but  he 
is  as  dirty  as  the  best  of  us.  He  still  lives  in  his  old 
lodgings,  though  he  could  move  if  he  liked  into  any  of 
the  fine  houses  whose  owne*|£  are  in  the  prisons.  He 
wants  no  servants,  but  lives  just  as  we  do.     Vive  Marat!" 

"Where  does  the  great  citizen  live?"  Victor  asked  the 
men  in  a  tone  of  earnest  entreaty.  On  learning  the  ad- 
dress they  took  their  way  to  the  dirty  and  disreputable 
street  where  Marat  lodged. 

"The  citizen  Marat  lives  in  this  street,  does  he  not?" 
Victor  asked  a  man  lounging  at  the  door  of  a  cabaret. 

"Yes;  in  that  house  opposite.  Do  you  want  him?" 

"No;  only  I  was  curious  to  seethe  house  where  the 
friend  of  the  people  lives,  and  as  I  was  passing  the  end 
of  the  street  turned  down.  Will  you  drink  a  glass?" 

"I  am  always  ready  for  that,"  the  man  said,  "but  in 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  H5- 

these  bard  times  one  cannot  do  it  as  often  as  one  would 
like." 

"That  is  true  enough,"  Victor  said  as  they  took  their 
seats  at  a  table.  "And  so  Marat  lives  over  there;  it's 
not  much  of  a  place  for  a  great  man." 

"It  is  all  he  wants, "  the  other  said  carelessly;  "and 
he  is  safer  here  than  he  would  be  in  the  richer  quarters. 
There  would  be  a  plot  against  him,  and  those  cursed 
Royalists  would  kill  him  if  they  had  the  chance ;  but  he 
is  always  escorted  home  from  the  club  by  a  band  of 
patriots." 

In  the  evening  Harry  and  Victor  returned  to  the  street 
and  watched  until  Marat  returned  from  the  Jacobin  Club. 
His  escort  of  men  with  torches  and  bludgeons  left  him 
at  the  door,  but  two  or  three  went  upstairs  with  him,  and 
until  far  in  the  night  visitors  came  and  went.  Then  the 
light  in  the  upper  room  was  extinguished. 

"It  is  not  such  an  easy  affair, "  Victor  said  as  they 
moved  away;  "and  you  see,  as  that  man  in  the  wine 
shop  told  us,  there  is  an  old  woman  who  cooks  for  him, 
and  it  is  much  more  difficult  to  seize  two  people  without 
an  alarm  being  given  than  one." 

"That  is  so,"  Harry  agreed;  "but  it  must  be  done 
somehow.  Every  day  matters  grow  more  threatening, 
and  those  bands  of  scoundrels  from  Marseilles  have  not 
been  brought  all  this  way  for  nothing.  The  worst  of  it 
is,  we  have  such  a  short  time  to  act.  Marat  does  not 
seem  to  be  ever  alone  from  early  morning  until  late  at 
night.  Supposing  we  did  somehow  get  the  order  of 
release  from  him  at  night  we  could  not  present  it  till  the 
morning,  and  before  we  could  present  it  some  one  might 
arrive  and  discover  him  fastened  up,  and  might  take  the 
news  to  the  prison  before  we  could  get  them  out. ' ' 

"Yes,  that  is  very  serious,"  Victor  agreed.  "I  begin 
to  despair,  Henri." 


116  JiV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"We  must  not  do  that,"  Harry  rejoined.  "You  see 
"we  thought  it  impossible  before  till  Jeanne  gave  us  the 
idea.  There  must  be  some  way  out  of  it  if  we  could  only 
hit  upon  it.  Perhaps  by  to-morrow  morning  an  idea  will 
occur  to  one  of  us.  And  there  is  another  thing  to  be 
thought  of,  we  must  procure  disguises  for  them.  It 
would  be  of  no  use  whatever  getting  them  out  unless  we 
could  conceal  them  after  they  are  freed.  It  would  not 
do  for  them  to  go  to  Louise  Moulin 's.  She  has  three 
visitors  already,  and  the  arrival  of  more  to  stay  with  her 
would  be  sure  to  excite  talk  among  the  neighbors.  The 
last  orders  are  so  strict  about  the  punishment  of  any  one 
giving  shelter  to  enemies  of  the  republic,  that  people  who 
let  rooms  will  all  be  suspicious.  The  only  plan  will  be 
to  get  them  out  of  the  city  at  once.  It  will  be  difficult 
for  them  to  make  their  way  through  France  on  foot,  for 
in  every  town  and  village  there  is  the  strictest  lookout 
kept  for  suspected  persons.  Still,  that  must  be  risked ; 
there  is  no  other  way. ' ' 

"Yes,  we  must  see  about  that  to-morrow,  Henri;  but  I 
do  not  think  the  marquise  could  support  such  a  journey, 
for  they  would  have  to  sleep  in  the  fields.  Moreover, 
she  will  probably  elect  to  stay  near  her  children  until  all 
can  go  together.  Therefore  I  think  that  it  will  be  best 
for  her  to  come  either  to  you  or  me.  "We  can  take  an 
additional  room,  saying  that  our  mother  is  coming  up 
from  the  country  to  keep  house  for  us." 

"Yes,  that  would  be  much  the  best  plan,  Victor.  And 
now  here  we  are  close  home.  I  hope  by  the  time  we 
meet  in  the  morning  one  of  us  may  have  hit  upon  some 
plan  or  other  for  getting  hold  of  this  scoundrel." 

"I  have  hit  upon  an  idea,  Victor, "  Harry  said  when 
they  met  the  next  morning. 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  for  though  I  have  lain  awake  all 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  117 

night  I  could  think  of  nothing.  Well,  what  is  your 
idea?" 

"Well,  you  see,  Marat  often  goes  out  in  the  morning 
alone.  He  is  so  well  known  and  he  is  so  much  regarded 
by  the  lower  class  that  he  has  no  fear  of  any  assault  be- 
ing made  upon  him  during  the  day.  My  plan  is  that  we 
should  follow  him  till  he  gets  into  some  street  with  few 
people  about.  Then  I  would  rush  upon  him,  seize  him, 
and  draw  a  knife  to  strike,  shouting,  'Die,  villain!'  You 
should  be  a  few  paces  behind,  and  should  run  up  and 
strike  the  knife  out  of  my  hand,  managing  at  the  same 
moment  to  tumble  over  Marat  and  fall  with  him  to  the 
ground.  That  would  give  me  time  to  bolt.  I  would 
have  a  beard  on,  and  would  have  my  other  clothes  under 
the  blouse.  I  would  rush  into  the  first  doorway  and 
run  upstairs,  pull  off  my  beard,  blouse,  and  blue  panta- 
loons, and  then  walk  quietly  down.  You  would,  of 
course,  rush  upstairs  and  meet  me  on  the  way.  I  should 
say  I  had  just  met  a  fellow  running  upstairs,  and  should 
slip  quietly  off." 

"It  would  be  a  frightful  risk,  Henri,  frightful!" 

"No,  I  think  it  could  be  managed  easily  enough. 
Then,  of  course,  Marat  would  be  very  grateful  to  you, 
and  you  could  either  get  him  to  visit  your  lodgings  or 
could  go  up  to  his,  and  once  you  had  been  there  you 
could  manage  to  outsit  his  last  visitor  at  night,  and  then 
we  could  do  as  we  agreed." 

"But,  you  know,  we  thought  we  should  hardly  have 
time  in  the  morning,  Henri!" 

"No,  I  have  been  thinking  of  that,  and  I  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  our  best  plan  would  be  to  seize  him 
and  hold  a  dagger  to  his  heart,  and  threaten  to  kill  him 
instantly  if  he  did  not  accompany  us.  Then  we  would 
go  down  with  him  into  the  street  and  walk  arm  in  arm. 


118  12?  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

with  him  to  your  lodging.  "We  could  thrust  a  ball  of 
wood  into  his  mouth  so  that  he  could  not  call  out  even  if 
he  had  the  courage  to  do  so,  which  I  don't  think  he 
would  have  if  he  were  assured  that  if  he  had  made  the 
slightest  sound  we  would  kill  him.  Then  we  could  make 
him  sign  the  order  and  leave  him  fastened  up  there.  It 
would  be  better  to  take  him  to  your  lodgings  than  mine, 
in  case  my  visits  to  Louise  Moulin  should  have  been 
noticed,  and  when  he  is  released  there  will  be  a  hue  and 
cry  after  his  captors." 

"The  best  plan  will  be  to  put  a  knife  into  his  heart  at 
once  the  minute  you  have  got  the  order  signed,"  Victor 
said  savagely;  "I  should  have  no  more  hesitation  in 
killing  him  than  stamping  on  a  snake." 

"No,  Victor;  the  man  is  a  monster,  but  we  cannot 
kill  him  in  cold  blood;  beside,  we  should  do  more  harm 
than  good  to  the  cause,  for  the  people  would  consider  he 
had  died  a  martyr  to  his  championship  of  their  rights, 
and  would  be  more  furious  than  ever  against  the  aris- 
tocracy." 

"But  his  account  of  what  he  has  gone  through  will 
have  just  the  same  effect,  Henri." 

"I  should  think  it  probable  he  would  keep  the  story  to 
himself.  What  has  happened  once  may  happen  again; 
and  beside,  bis  cowardice  in  signing  the  release  of  three 
enemies  of  the  people  in  order  to  save  his  life  would  tell 
against  him.  No,  I  think  he  would  keep  silence.  After 
we  have  got  them  safe  away  we  can  return  and  so  far 
loosen  his  bonds  that  he  would  be  able,  after  a  time,  to 
free  himself.  Five  minutes'  start  would  be  all  that  we 
should  want." 

But  the  plan  was  not  destined  to  be  carried  out.  It 
was  the  morning  of  September  2,  1792,  and  as  they  went 
down  into  the  quarter  where  the  magazines  of  old  clothes 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  125 

joined  the  mob.  The  Swiss  officers  and  soldiers,  who 
were,  with  the  priests,  special  objects  of  hatred  to  the 
mob,  were  first  brought  out.  They  were  spared  the  farce 
of  a  trial,  they  were  ordered  to  march  out  through  the 
doors,  outside  which  the  Marseillais  were  awaiting  them. 
Some  hesitated  to  go  out,  and  cried  for  mercy. 

A  young  man  with  head  erect  was  the  first  to  pass 
through  the  fatal  doors.  He  fell  in  a  moment,  pierced 
with  pikes.  The  rest  followed  him,  and  all  save  two,  who 
were,  by  some  caprice  of  the  mob,  spared,  shared  his 
fate.  The  mob  had  crowded  into  the  galleries  which  sur- 
rounded the  hall  and  applauded  with  ferocious  yells  the 
murder  of  the  soldiers.  In  the  body  of  the  hall  a  space 
was  kept  clear  by  the  armed  followers  of  the  Commune 
round  the  judges'  table,  and  a  pathway  to  the  door  from 
the  interior  of  the  prison  to  that  opening  into  the  street. 

When  the  Swiss  had  been  massacred  the  trial  of  the 
other  prisoners  commenced.  One  after  another  the  pris- 
oners were  brought  out.  They  were  asked  their  names 
and  occupations,  a  few  questions  followed,  and  then  the 
verdict  of  "Guilty."  One  after  another  they  were  con- 
ducted to  the  door  and  there  slain.  Two  or  three  by  the 
wittiness  of  their  answers  amused  the  mob  and  were 
thereupon  acquitted,  the  acquittals  being  greeted  by  the 
spectators  as  heartily  as  the  sentences  of  death. 

Victor  and  Harry  were  in  the  lowest  gallery.  They 
stood  back  from  the  front,  but  between  the  heads  of  those 
before  them  they  could  see  what  was  going  on  below. 
Victor  stood  immovable,  his  face  as  pale  as  death.  His 
cap  had  fallen  off,  his  hair  was  dank  with  perspiration, 
his  eyes  had  a  look  of  concentrated  horror,  his  body 
shook  with  a  spasmodic  shuddering.  In  vain  Harry, 
when  he  once  saw  what  was  going  to  take  place,  urged 
him  in  a  whisper  to  leave.     He  did  not  appear  to  hear, 


126  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

and  even  when  Harry  pulled  hiru  by  the  sleeve  of  his 
blouse  he  seemed  equally  unconscious.  Harry  was 
greatly  alarmed,  and  feared  that  every  moment  his  com- 
panion would  betray  himself  by  some  terrible  outburst. 

After  the  three  or  four  first  prisoners  had  been  dis- 
posed of,  a  tall  and  stately  man  was  brought  into  the 
hall.  A  terible  cry,  which  sounded  loud  even  above  the 
tumult  which  reigned,  burst  from  Victor's  lips.  He 
threw  himself  with  the  fury  of  a  madman  upon  those  in 
front  of  him,  and  in  a  moment  would  have  bounded  into 
the  hall  had  not  Harry  brought  the  heavy  stick  he  car- 
ried with  all  his  force  down  upon  his  head.  Victor  fell 
like  a  log  under  the  blow.  i 

"What  is  it?     "What  is  it?"  shouted  those  around. 

"My  comrade  has  gone  out  of  his  mind,"  Harry  said 
quietly;  "he  has  been  drinking  for  some  days,  and  his 
hatred  for  the  enemies  of  France  has  turned  his  head.  I 
have  been  watching  him,  and  had  I  not  knocked  him 
down  he  would  have  thrown  himself  head-foremost  off 
the  gallery  and  broken  his  neck." 

The  explanation  seemed  natural,  and  all  were  too  inter- 
ested in  what  was  passing  in  the  hall  below  to  pay  fur- 
ther attention  to  so  trival  an  incident.  It  was  well  that 
Harry  had  caught  sight  of  the  prisoner  before  Victor  did 
so  and  was  prepared  for  the  outbreak,  for  it  was  the  Due 
de  Gisons  who  had  thus  been  led  in  to  murder.  Harry 
dragged  Victor  back  against  the  wall  behind  and  then 
tried  to  lift  him. 

"I  will  lend  you  a  hand,"  a  tall  man  in  the  dress  of  a 
mechanic,  who  had  been  standing  next  to  him,  said,  and, 
lifting  Victor's  body  on  to  his  shoulder,  made  his  way  to 
the  top  of  the  stairs,  Harry  preceding  him  and  opening  a 
way  through  the  crowd.  In  anotner  minute  they  were 
in  the  open  air. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  127 

"Thank  you  greatly,"  Harry  said.  "I  do  not  know 
how  I  should  have  managed  without  your  aid.  If  you 
put  him  down  here  I  will  try  and  bring  him  round." 

"I  live  uot  far  from  here,"  the  mun  said.  "I  will  take 
him  to  my  room.  You  need  not  be  afraid,"  he  added  as 
Harry  hesitated,  "I  have  got  my  eyes  open,  you  can 
trust  me." 

So  saying  he  made  his  way  through  the  crowd  gath- 
ered outside.  He  was  frequently  asked  who  he  was 
carrying,  for  the  crowd  feared  lest  any  of  their  prey 
should  escape;  but  the  man's  reply,  given  with  a  rough 
laugh — "It  is  a  lad  whose  stomach  is  not  strong  enough 
to  bear  the  sight  of  blood,  and  I  tell  you  it  is  pretty  hot 
in  there" — satisfied  them.  "^ 

Passing  through  several  streets  the  man  entered  a  small 
house  and  carried  Victor  to  the  attic  and  laid  him  on  a 
bed,  then  he  carefully  closed  the  door  and  struck  a  light. 

"You  struck  hard,  my  friend, "he  said,  as  he  examined 
Victor's  head.  Mafoi,  I  should  not  have  liked  such  a 
blow  myself;  but  I  don't  blame  you.  You  were  but  just 
in  time  to  prevent  his  betraying  himself,  and  better  a 
hundred  times  a  knock  on  the  head  than  those  pikes  out- 
side the  door.  I  had  my  eye  on  him,  and  felt  sure  he 
would  do  something  rash,  and  I  had  intended  to  choke 
him,  but  he  was  too  quick  for  me.  How  came  you  to  be 
so  foolish  as  to  bo  there?" 

"We  had  friends  in  the  prison,  and  we  thought  we 
might  do  something  to  save  them,"  Harry  answered,  for 
he  saw  that  it  would  be  his  best  policy  to  be  frank. 
"It  was  his  father  whom  they  brought  out." 

"It  was  rash  of  you,  young  sir.  A  kid  might  as  well 
try  to  save  his  mother  from  the  tiger  who  has  laid  its 
paw  upon  her  as  for  you  to  try  to  rescue  any  one  from 
the  clutches  of  the  mob.     Man  JJicvf  to  think  that  in  the 


128  IW  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

early  days  I  was  fool  enough  to  go  down  to  the  Assembly 
and  cheer  the  deputies;  but  I  have  seen  my  mistake. 
"What  has  it  brought  us? — a  ruined  trade,  an  empty  cup- 
board, and  to  be  ruled  by  the  ruffians  of  the  slums  instead 
of  the  king,  the  clergj-,  and  the  -  upper  classes.  I  was  a 
brass-Worker,  and  a  good  one,  though  I  say  it  myself, 
and  earned  good  wages.  Now  for  the  last  month  I 
haven't  done  a  stroke  of  work.  Who  wants  to  buy  brass- 
work  when  there  are  mansions  and  shops  to  pillage? 
And  now,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  My  wife  is  out, 
but  she  will  probably  be  back  soon.  We  will  attend  to 
this  young  fellow.  She  is  a  good  nurse,  and  I  tell  you  I 
think  he  will  need  all  we  can  do  for  him." 

"You  don't  think  I  have  seriously  injured  him?" 
Harry  said  in  a  tone  of  dismay. 

"No,  no;  don't  make  yourself  uneasy.  You  have 
stunned  him,  and  that's  all;  he  will  soon  get  over  that. 
I  have  seen  men  get  worse  knocks  in  a  drunken  row  and 
be  at  work  again  in  the  morning;  but  it  is  different  here. 
I  saw  his  face,  and  he  was  pretty  nearly  mad  when  you 
struck  him.  I  doubt  whether  he  will  be  in  his  right 
senses  when  he  comes  round ;  but  never  fear,  we  will  look 
after  him  well.  You  can  stay  if  you  like;  but  if  you 
want  to  go  you  can  trust  him  to  us.  I  see  you  can  keep 
your  head,  and  will  not  run  into  danger  as  he  did." 

"I  do  want  to  go  terribly,"  Harry  said,  "terribly;  and 
I  feel  that  I  can  trust  you  completely.  You  have  saved 
his  life  and  mine  already.  Now  you  will  not  be  hurt  at 
what  I  am  going  to  say.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Due  de 
Gisons,  the  last  man  we  saw  brought  out  to  be  murdered. 
We  have  plenty  of  money.  In  a  belt  round  his  waist  you 
will  find  a  hundred  louis.  Please  do  not  spare  them.  If 
you  think  he  wants  a  surgeon  call  him  in,  and  get  every- 
thing necessary  for  your  household.     While  you  are  nurs- 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  129 

ing  him  you  cannot  go  out  to  work.  I  do  not  talk  of 
reward;  one  cannot  reward  kindness  like  yours;  but 
while  you  are  looking  after  him  you  and  your  wife  must 
live." 

"Agreed!"  the  man  said,  shaking  Harry  by  the  hand. 
"You  speak  like  a  man  of  heart.  I  will  look  after  him. 
You  need  be  under  no  uneasiness.  Should  any  of  my 
comrades  come  in  I  shall  say:  'This  is  a  young  workman 
who  got  knocked  down  and  hurt  in  the  crowd,  and  whom, 
having  nothing  better  to  do,  I  have  brought  in  here.'  " 

"If  he  should  recover  his  senses  before  I  come  back," 
Harry  said,  "please  do  not  let  him  know  it  was  I  who 
struck  him.  He  will  be  well-nigh  heartbroken  that  he 
could  not  share  the  fate  of  his  father.  Let  him  think 
that  he  was  knocked  down  by  some  one  in  the  crowd." 

"All  right!  that  is  easily  managed,"  the  man  said. 
"Jacques  Medart  is  no  fool.  Now  you  had  best  be  off, 
for  I  see  you  are  on  thorns,  and  leave  me  to  bathe  his 
head.  If  you  shouldn't  come  back  you  can  depend  upon 
it  I  will  look  after  him  till  he  is  able  to  go  about  again." 


130  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

MAEIE    AKEESTED. 

On  leaving  "Victor  in  the  care  of  the  man  "who  had  so 
providentially  come  to  his  aid,  Harry  hurried  down  the 
street  toward  the  Abbaye,  then  he  stopped  to  think — 
should  he  return  there  or  make  his  way  to  the  Bicetre  ?  He 
could  not  tell  whether  his  friends  had,  like  the  Due  de 
Gisons,  been  removed  to  the  Abbaye.  If  they  had  been 
so,  it  was  clearly  impossible  for  him  to  aid  them  in  any 
way.  They  might  already  have  fallen.  The  crowd  was 
too  great  for  him  to  regain  the  gallery,  and  even  there  he 
could  only  witness,  without  power  to  avert,  their  murder. 
Were  they  still  at  the  Bicetre  he  might  do  something. 
Perhaps  the  assassins  had  not  yet  arrived  there. 

It  was  now  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  streets 
were  almost  deserted.  The  respectable  inhabitants  all 
remained  within  their  houses,  trembling  at  the  horrors, 
of  which  reports  had  circulated  during  the  afternoon. 
At  first  there  had  been  hopes  that  the  Assembly  would 
take  steps  to  put  a  stop  to  the  massacre,  but  the  Assembly 
did  nothing.  Danton  and  the  ministers  were  absent. 
The  cannon's  roar  and  the  tocsin  sounded  perpetually. 
There  was  no  secret  as  to  what  was  going  on.  The  Com- 
mune had  the  insolence  to  send  commissioners  to  the  bar 
of  the  Assembly  to  state  that  the  people  wished  to  break 
open  the  doors  of  the  prisons,  and  this  when  two  hundred 
priests  had  already  been  butchered  at  the  Carmelites. 

A  deputation  indeed  went  to  the  Abbaye  to  try  to  per- 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  131 

suade  the  murderers  to  desist,  but  their  voices  were 
drowned  in  tumultuous  cries.  The  Commune  of  Paris 
openly  directed  the  massacre.  Billaud-Varennes  went 
backward  and  forward  to  superintend  the  execution  of  his 
orders,  and  promised  the  executioners  twenty-four  francs 
a  day.  The  receipt  for  the  payment  of  this  blood-money 
still  exists.  On  arriving  in  front  of  the  Bicetre  Harry 
found  all  was  silent  there,  and  with  a  faint  feeling  of 
hope  that  the  massacre  would  not  extend  beyond  the 
Abbaye  he  again  turned  his  steps  in  that  direction. 

The  bloody  work  was  still  going  on,  and  Harry  wan- 
dered away  into  the  quiet  streets  to  avoid  hearing  the 
shrieks  of  the  victims  and  the  yells  of  the  crowd.  A  sud- 
den thought  struck  him,  and  he  went  along  until  he  saw 
a  woman  come  out  of  a  house.     He  ran  up  to  her. 

"Madame,"  he  said,  "I  have  the  most  urgent  need  of  a 
bonnet  and  shawl.  "Will  you  sell  me  those  you  have  on? 
The  shops  are  all  shut,  or  I  would  not  trouble  you.  You 
have  only  to  name  your  price  and  I  will  pay  you." 

The  woman  was  surprised  at  this  proposition,  but  see- 
ing that  a  good  bargain  was  to  be  made  she  asked  twice 
the  cost  of  the  articles  when  new,  and  this  Harry  paid 
her  without  question. 

Wrapping  the  shawl  and  bonnet  into  a  bundle  he  re- 
traced his  steps,  and  sat  down  on  some  doorsteps  within 
a  distance  of  the  Abbajre  which  would  enable  him  to  ob- 
serve any  general  movement  of  the  crowd  in  front  of  the 
prison.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  there  was  a  stir, 
and  the  body  of  men  with  pikes  moved  down  the  street. 

"They  are  going  to  La  Force,"  he  said,  after  follow- 
ing them  for  some  distance.  "Oh,  if  I  had  but  two  or 
three  hundred  English  soldiers  here  we  would  make 
mincemeat  of  these  murderers!" 

Harry  did  not  enter  La  Force,  where  the  scenes  that 


132  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

were  taking  place  at  the  Abbaye — for,  in  spite  of  the 
speed  with  which  the  mock  trials  were  hurried  through, 
these  massacres  were  not  yet  finished  there,  so  great  was 
the  number  of  prisoners — were  repeated. 

At  La  Force  many  ladies  were  imprisoned,  among  them 
the  Princess  de  Lamballe.  They  shared  the  fate  of  the 
male  prisoners,  being  hewn  to  pieces  by  sabers.  The 
head  of  the  princess  was  cut  off  and  stuck  upon  a  pike, 
and  was  carried  in  triumph  under  the  windows  of  the 
Temple,  where  the  king  and  queen  were  confined,  and 
was  held  up  to  the  bars  of  the  room  they  occupied  for 
them  to  see.  Marie  Antoinette,  fearless  for  herself, 
fainted  at  the  terrible  sight  of  the  pale  head  of  her  friend. 

Harry  remained  at  a  little  distance  from  La  Force, 
tramping  restlessly  up  and  down,  half-mad  with  rage  and 
norror,  and  at  his  powerlessness  to  interfere  in  any  way 
with  the  proceedings  of  the  wretches  who  were  carrying 
on  the  work  of  murder.  At  last,  about  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  a  boy  ran  by. 

"They  have  finished  with  them  at  the  Abbaye,  "he  said 
with  fiendish  glee.  "They  are  going  from  there  to  the 
Bicetre." 

Harry  with  difficulty  repressed  his  desire  to  slay  the 
urchin,  and  hurried  away  to  reach  the  prison  of  Bictere 
before  the  band  from  the  Abbaye  arrived  there.  Unfor- 
tunately he  came  down  by  a  side  street  upon  them  when 
they  were  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  prison. 
His  great  hope  was  that  he  might  succeed  in  penetrating 
with  the  Marseillais  and  find  the  marquise,  and  aid  her  in 
making  her  way  through  the  mob  in  the  disguise  he  had 
purchased. 

But  here,  as  at  the  other  prisons,  there  was  a  method 
in  the  work  of  murder.  The  agents  of  the  Commune  took 
possession  of  the  hall  at  the  entrance  and  permitted  none 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  133 

to  pass  further  into  the  prison,  the  warders  and  officials 
bringing  down  the  prisoners  in  batches,  and  so  handing 
them  over  for  slaughter.  In  vain  Harry  tried  to  pene- 
trate into  the  inner  part  of  the  prison.  He  was  roughly 
repulsed  by  the  men  guarding  the  door ;  and  at  last,  find- 
ing that  nothing  could  be  done,  he  forced  his  way  out 
again  into  the  open  air,  and  hurrying  away  for  some  dis- 
tance, threw  himself  on  the  ground  and  burst  into  a  pas- 
sion of  tears. 

After  a  time  he  rose  and  made  his  way  back  to  the 
house  where  he  had  left  Victor  de  Gisons.  He  found  him 
in  a  state  of  delirium,  acting  over  and  over  again  the 
scene  in  the  Abbaye,  cursing  the  judge  and  executioners, 
and  crying  out  he  would  die  with  his  father. 

"What  does  the  doctor  think  of  him?"  he  asked  the 
woman  who  was  sitting  by  Victor's  bed. 

"He  did  not  say  much,"  the  woman  replied.  "He 
shook  his  head,  and  said  there  had  been  a  terrible  men- 
tal shock,  and  that  he  could  not  answer  either  for  his  life 
or  reason.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  be  patient, 
to  keep  his  head  bandaged  with  wet  cloths,  and  to  give 
him  water  from  time  to  time.  Do  not  be  afraid,  sir;  we 
will  watch  over  him  carefully." 

"I  would  stay  if  I  could,"  Harry  said;  "but  I  have 
others  I  must  see  about.  I  have  the  terrible  news  to 
break  to  some  young  ladies  of  the  murder  of  their  father 
and  mother." 

"Poor  things! — poor  things!"  the  woman  said,  shak- 
ing her  head.  "It  is  terrible!  My  husband  was  telling 
me  what  he  saw;  and  a  neighbor  came  in  just  now  and 
said  it  was  the  same  thing  at  all  the  other  prisons.  The 
priest,  too — our  priest  at  the  little  church  at  the  corner 
of  the  street,  where  I  used  to  go  in  every  morning  to  pray 
on  my  way  to  market — he  was  dragged  away  ten  daya 


134  -     IHf  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

ago  to  the  Carmelites,  and  now  he  is  a  saint  in  heaven. 
How  is  it,  sir,  that  God  allows  such  things  to  be?" 

"We  cannot  tell,"  Harry  said  sadly.  "As  for  myself, 
I  can  hardly  believe  it,  though  I  saw  it.  They  say  there 
are  over  four  thousand  people  in  the  prisons,  and  they 
will  all  be  murdered.  Such  a  thing  was  never  heard  of. 
I  can  hardly  believe  that  I  am  not  in  a  dream  now." 

"You  look  almost  like  one  dead  yourself,"  the  woman 
said  pityingly.  "I  have  made  a  bouillon  for  Jacques' 
breakfast  and  mine.  It  it  is  just  ready.  Do  take  a 
mouthful  before  you  go  out.  That  and  a  piece  of  bread 
and  a  cup  of  »ed  wine  will  do  you  good." 

Harry  was  on  the  point  of  refusing ;  but  he  felt  that  he 
was  utterly  worn  and  exhausted,  and  that  he  must  keep 
up  his  strength.  Her  husband,  therefore,  took  her  place 
by  Victor's  bedside  in  readiness  to  hold  him  down  should 
he  try  to  get  up  in  his  ravings,  while  the  good  woman 
ladled  out  a  basin  of  the  broth  and  placed  it  with  a  piece 
of  bread  and  some  wine  on  the  table.  Harry  forced  him- 
self to  drink  it,  and  when  he  rose  from  the  table  he 
already  felt  the  benefit  of  the  meal. 

"Thank  you  very  much,"  he  said.  "I  feel  stronger 
now ;  but  how  I  am  to  tell  the  story  I  do  not  know.  But 
I  must  make  quite  certain  before  I  go  to  these  poor  girls 
that  their  parents  were  killed.  Three  or  four  were  spared 
at  the  Abbaye.  Possibly  it  may  have  been  the  same 
thing  at  the  Bicetre." 

So  Harry  went  back  and  waited  outside  the  prison 
until  the  bloody  work  was  over ;  but  found  on  question- 
ing those  who  came  out  when  all  was  done  that  the  thirst 
for  blood  had  increased  with  killing,  and  that  all  the 
prisoners  found  in  the  Bicetre  had  been  put  to  death. 

"Ma  foi!"  the  man  whom  he  was  speaking  to  said; 
"but  these  accursed  aristocrats  have  courage.     Men  and 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  135 

■women  were  alike ;  there  was  not  one  of  them  but  faced 
the  judges  bravely  and  went  to  their  death  as  calmly  as 
if  to  dinner.  There  was  a  marquis  and  his  wife — the 
Marquis  de  St.  Caux  they  called  him.  They  brought 
them  out  together.  They  were  asked  whether  they  had 
anything  to  say  why  they  should  not  be  punished  for 
their  crimes  against  France.  The  marquis  laughed 
aloud. 

"  'Crimes!'  he  said.  'Do  you  think  a  Marquis  de  St. 
Caux  is  going  to  plead  for  his  life  to  a  band  of  murderers 
and  assassins?     Come,  my  love.' 

"He  just  gave  her  one  kiss,  and  then  took  her  hand  as 
if  they  were  going  to  walk  a  minuet  together,  and  then 
led  her  down  between  the  lines  of  guards  with  his  head 
erect  and  a  smile  of  scorn  on  his  face.  She  did  not 
smile,  but  her  step  never  faltered.  I  watched  her  closely. 
She  was  very  pale,  and  she  did  not  look  proud,  but  she 
walked  as  calmly  and  steadily  as  her  husband  till  they 
reached  the  door  where  the  pikemen  were  awaiting  them, 
and  then  it  was  over  in  a  minute,  and  they  died  without 
a  cry  or  a  groan.  They  are  wretches,  the  aristocrats. 
They  have  fattened  on  the  life-blood  of  the  people ;  but 
they  know  how  to  die,  these  people." 

Without  a  word  Harry  turned  away.  He  had  told 
himself  there  was  no  hope ;  but  he  knew  by  the  bitter 
pang  he  felt  now  that  he  had  hoped  to  the  last.  Then 
he  walked  slowly  away  to  tell  the  news. 

There  were  comparatively  few  people  about  the  streets, 
and  these  all  of  the  lower  order.  Every  shop  was  closed. 
Men  with  scared  faces  stood  at  some  of  the  doors  to 
gather  the  news  from  passers-by,  and  pale  women  looked 
timidly  from  the  upper  windows.  "When  he  reached  the 
house  he  could  not  summon  courage  to  enter  it,  but  stood 
for  a  long  time  outside,  until  at  last  he  saw  Louise  Mou- 


136  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TEBEOE. 

lin  put  her  head  from  the  window.  He  succeeded  iu 
catching  her  eye,  and  placing  his  finger  on  his  lips  signed 
to  her  to  come  down.  A  minute  later  she  appeared  at 
the  door. 

"Is  it  all  true,  Monsieur  Sandwith?  They  say  they 
are  murdering  the  prisoners.  Surely  it  must  be  false  I 
They  could  never  do  such  a  thing!" 

"It  is  true,  Louise.  I  have  seen  it  myself.  I  went 
with  a  disguise  to  try  and  rescue  our  dear  lady,  even  if  I 
could  not  save  the  marquis ;  but  I  could  not  get  to  her — 
the  wretches  have  murdered  them  both." 

"Oh,  my  dear  lady!"  the  old  woman  cried,  bursting 
into  tears;  "the  pretty  babe  I  nursed.  To  think  of  her 
murdered;  and  the  poor  young  things  upstairs — what 
shall  I  do? — what  shall  I  do,  Monsieur  Sandwith?" 

"You  must  break  it  to  them,  Louise.  Do  they  know 
how  great  the  danger  is?" 

"No.  I  have  kept  it  from  them.  They  can  see  from 
the  window  that  something  unusual  is  going  on,  every 
one  can  see  that.  But  I  told  them  it  was  only  that  the 
Prussians  were  advancing.  They  are  anxious — very 
anxious — but  they  are  quite  unprepared  for  this." 

"Break  it  gradually,  Louise.  Tell  them  first  that 
there  are  rumors  that  the  prisons  have  been  attacked. 
Come  down  again  presently  as  if  to  get  more  news,  and 
then  tell  them  that  there  are  reports  that  the  prisoners 
have  been  massacred,  and  then  at  last  tell  them  all  the 
truth." 

"But  will  you  not  come  up,  Monsieur  Sandwith — they 
trust  in  you  so  much?  Your  presence  will  be  a  support 
to  them." 

"I  could  do  nothing  now,"  Harry  said  sadly.  "God 
only  can  console  them.  They  had  best  be  by  themselves 
for  awhile.     I  will  come  in  this  evening.     The  first  burst 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  137 

of  grief  will  be  over  then,  and  my  talk  may  aid  them  to 
rouse  themselves.  Oh,  if  we  had  but  tried  to  get  them 
out  of  prison  sooner.  And  yet  who  could  have  foreseen 
that  here  in  Paris  thousands  of  innocent  prisoners,  men 
and  women,  would  be  murdered  in  cold  blood!" 

Finding  that  she  could  not  persuade  Harry  to  enter, 
Louise  turned  to  perform  her  painful  duty ;  while  Harry, 
thoroughly  exhausted  with  the  night  of  horrors,  made 
his  way  home,  and  throwing  himself  on  the  bed,  fell 
asleep,  and  did  not  wake  until  evening.  His  first  step 
was  to  plunge  his  head  into  water,  and  then,  after  a  good 
wash,  to  prepare  a  meal.  His  sleep  had  restored  his 
energy,  and  with  brisk  steps  he  made  his  way  through 
the  streets  to  Louise  Moulin.  He  knocked  with  his 
knuckles  at  the  outer  door  of  her  apartments.  The  old 
nurse  opened  it  quietly. 

"Come  in,"  she  said,  "and  sit  down.  They  are  in  their 
room,  and  I  think  they  have  cried  themselves  to  sleep. 
My  heart  has  been  breaking  all  day  to  see  them.  It  has 
been  dreadful.  Poor  little  Virginie  cried  terribly,  and 
sobbed  for  hours;  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  the  others 
cried.  Marie  fainted,  and  when  I  got  her  round  lay  still 
and  quiet  without  speaking.  Jeanne  was  worst  of  all. 
She  sat  on  that  chair  with  her  eyes  staring  open  and  her 
face  as  white  as  if  she  were  dead.  She  did  not  seem  to 
hear  anything  I  said;  but  at  last,  when  Virginie's  sobs 
were  stopping,  I  began  to  talk  to  her  about  her  mother 
and  her  pretty  ways  when  she  was  a  child,  and  then  at 
last  Jeanne  broke  down,  and  she  cried  so  wildly  that  I 
was  frightened,  and  then  Marie  cried  too;  and  after 
awhile  I  persuaded  them  all  to  lie  down ;  and  as  I  have 
not  heard  a  sound  for  the  last  hour  I  hope  the  good  God 
has  sent  them  all  to  sleep. ' ' 

ul  trust  so  indeed,  Louise.     T  will  stay  here  quietly 


138  i3T  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

for  an  hour,  and  then  if  we  hear  nothing  I  will  go  home, 
and  be  back  again  in  the  morning.  Sleep  will  do  more 
for  them  than  anything  I  can  say." 

At  the  end  of  anjhour  all  was  still  quiet,  and  Harry 
with  a  somewhat  lightened  heart  took  his  departure. 

At  nine  o'clock  nest  morning  he  was  again  at  the 
house.  When  he  entered  Virginie  ran  to  him,  and 
throwing  her  arms  round  his  neck  again  burst  into  a 
passion  of  tears.  Harry  felt  that  this  was  the  best  thing 
that  could  have  happened,  for  the  others  were  occupied 
for  some  time  in  trying  to  soothe  her,  crying  quietly  to 
themselves  while  they  did  so.  At  last  her  sobs  became 
less  violent. 

"And  now,  Harry,"  Marie  said,  turning  to  him,  "will 
you  tell  us  all  about  it?" 

"I  will  tell  you  only  that  your  dear  father  and  mother 
died,  as  you  might  be  sure  they  would,  calmly  and  fear- 
lessly, and  that  they  suffered  but  little.  Mora  than  that 
I  cannot  tell  you  now.  Some  day  further  on,  when  you 
can  bear  it,  I  will  tell  you  of  the  events  of  the  last  forty- 
eight  hours.  At  present  I  myself  dare  not  think  of  it,, 
and  it  would  harm  you  to  know  it. 

"Do  not,  I  pray  you,  ask  me  any  questions  now.  We 
must  think  of  the  future.  Fortunately  you  passed  un- 
suspected the  last  time  they  searched  the  house;  but  it 
may  not  be  so  another  time.  You  may  be  sure  that  these 
human  tigers  will  not  be  satisfied  with  the  blood  they 
have  shed,  but  that  they  will  long  for  fresh  victims.  The 
prisons  are  empty  now,  but  they  will  soon  be  filled  again. 
We  must  therefore  turn  our  thoughts  to  your  making 
your  escape  from  the  city.  I  fear  that  there  is  peril 
everywhere;  but  it  must  be  faced.  I  think  it  will  be 
useless  for  us  to  try  and  reach  the  frontier  by  land.  At 
every  town  and  village  they  will  be  on  the  lookout  for 


J2V  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  139 

fugitives,  and  whatever  disguise  you  might  adopt  you 
could  not  escape  observation.  I  think,  then,  that  we 
must  make  for  the  sea  and  hire  a  fishing-boat  to  take  us 
across  to  England. 

"But  we  must  not  hurry.  In  the  first  place,  we  must 
settle  all  our  plans  carefully  and  prepare  our  disguises ; 
in  the  next  place,  there  will  be  such  tremendous  excite- 
ment when  the  news  of  what  has  happened  here  is  known 
that  it  would  be  unsafe  to  travel.  I  think  myself  it  will 
be  best  to  wait  a  little  until  there  is  a  lull.  That  is  what 
I  want  you  to  think  over  and  decide. 

"I  do  not  think  there  is  any  very  great  danger  here  for 
the  next  few  days.  For  a  little  time  they  will  be  tired  of 
slaying;  and,  from  what  I  hear,  the  Girondists  are  marked 
out  as  the  next  victims.  They  say  Danton  has  denounced 
them  at  the  Jacobin  Club.  At  any  rate  it  will  be  better 
to  get  everything  in  readiness  for  flight,  so  that  we  can 
leave  at  once  if  we  hear  of  any  fresh  measures  for  a  search 
after  suspects." 

Harry  was  pleased  to  find  that  his  suggestion  answered 
the  purpose  for  which  he  made  it.  The  girls  began  to 
discuss  the  disguises  which  would  be  required  and  the 
best  route  to  be  taken,  and  their  thoughts  were  for  a 
time  turned  from  the  loss  they  had  sustained.  After  an 
hour's  talk  he  left  them  greatly  benefited  by  his  visit. 

For  the  next  few  days  Harry  spent  his  time  for  the 
most  part  by  the  bedside  of  Victor  de  Gisons.  The  fever 
was  still  at  its  height,  and  the  doctor  gave  but  small 
hopes  of  his  recovery.  Harry  determined  that  he  would 
not  leave  Paris  until  the  issue  was  decided  one  way  or 
the  other,  and  when  with  the  girls  he  discouraged  any 
idea  of  an  immediate  flight.  This  was  the  more  easy, 
for  the  news  from  the  provinces  showed  that  the  situation 
was  everywhere  as  bad  as  it  was  at  the  capital. 


140  Iff"  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROX. 

The  Commune  had  sent  to  all  the  committees  acting  in 
connection  with  them  in  the  towns  throughout  the  country 
the  news  of  the  execution  of  the  enemies  of  France  con- 
fined in  the  prisons,  and  had  urged  that  a  similar  step 
should  at  once  be  taken  with  reference  to  all  the  prisoners 
in  their  hands.  The  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  and 
throughout  France  massacres  similar  to  those  in  Paris 
were  at  once  carried  out.  A  carnival  of  murder  and  hor- 
ror had  commenced,  and  the  madness  for  blood  raged 
throughout  the  whole  country.  Such  being  the  case, 
Harry  found  it  by  no  means  difficult  to  dissuade  the  girls 
from  taking  instant  steps  toward  making  their  escape. 

He  was,  however,  in  a  state  of  great  uneasiness. 
Many  of  the  moderate  deputies  had  been  seized,  others 
had  sought  safety  in  flight,  and  the  search  for  suspected 
persons  was  carried  on  vigorously.  Difficult  and  dan- 
gerous as  it  would  be  to  endeavor  to  travel  through 
France  with  three  girls,  he  would  have  attempted  it 
without  hesitation  rather  than  remain  in  Paris  had  it  not 
been  for  Victor  de  Gisons. 

One  day,  a  week  after  the  massacres  at  the  prisons,  he 
received  another  terrible  shock.  He  had  bought  a  paper 
from  one  of  the  men  shouting  them  for  sale  in  the  street, 
and  sat  down  in  the  garden  of  the  Tuileries  to  read  it. 
A  great  portion  of  the  space  was  filled  with  lists  of  the 
enemies  of  the  people  who  had  been,  as  it  was  called, 
executed.  As  these  lists  had  formed  the  staple  of  news 
for  several  days  Harry  scarce  glanced  at  the  names,  his 
eye  traveling  rapidly  down  the  list  until  he  gave  a  start 
and  a  low  cry.  Under  the  heading  of  persons  executed 
at  Lille  were  the  names  of  Ernest  de  St.  Caux,  Jules  de 
St.  Caux,  Pierre  du  Tillet — "aristocrats,  arrested  August 
15th,'  in  the  act  of  endeavoring  to  leave  France  in  dis- 
guise." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  141 

For  some  time  Harry  sat  as  if  stunned.  He  had  scarce 
given  a  thought  to  his  friends  since  the  night  they  had 
left,  the  affairs  of  the  marquis  and  his  wife,  of  their 
daughters,  and  of  Victor  de  Gisons,  almost  excluding 
everything  else.  When  he  thought  of  the  boys  it  had 
been  as  already  in  England,  under  the  charge  of  Du 
Tillet. 

He  had  thought,  that  if  they  had  been  arrested  on  the 
way  he  should  have  been  sure  to  hear  of  it;  and  he  had 
such  confidence  in  the  sagacity  of  Monsieur  du  Tillet 
that  he  had  looked  upon  it  as  almost  certain  he  would  be 
able  to  lead  his  two  charges  through  any  difficulty  and 
danger  which  might  beset  them.  And  now  he  knew  that 
his  hopes  had  been  ill  founded — that  his  friends  had  been 
arrested  when  almost  within  sight  of  the  frontier,  and 
had  been#  murdered  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the  massacres 
in  Paris  had  reached  Lille. 

He  felt  crushed  with  the  blow.  A  warm  affection  had 
sprung  up  between  him  and  Ernest,  while  from  the  first 
the  younger  boy  had  attached  himself  to  him ;  and  now 
they  were  dead,  and  the  girls  were  alone  in  the  world, 
save  for  himself  and  the  poor  young  fellow  tossing  with 
fever!  It  was  true  that  if  his  friends  had  reached  Eng- 
land in  safety  they  could  not  have  aided  him  in  the  task 
he  had  before  him  of  getting  the  girls  away;  still  their 
deaths  somehow  seemed  to  add  to  his  responsibilities. 

Upon  one  thing  he  determined  at  once,  and  that  was, 
that  until  his  charges  were  safely  in  England  they  should 
not  hear  a  whisper  of  this  new  and  terrible  misfortune 
which  had  befallen  them. 

In  order  to  afford  the  girls  some  slight  change,  and 
anxious  at  their  pale  faces,  the  result  of  grief  and  of  their 
unwonted  confinement,  Louise  Moulin  had  persuaded 
them  to  go  out  with  her  in  the  early  mornings  when  she 


142  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

went  to  the  markets.  The  fear  of  detection  was  small, 
for  the  girls  had  now  become  accustomed  to  their  thick 
shoes  and  rough  dresses ;  and  indeed  she  thought  that  it 
would  be  safer  to  go  out,  for  the  suspicions  of  her  neigh- 
bors might  be  excited  if  the  girls  remained  secluded  in 
the  house.  Harry  generally  met  them  soon  after  they 
started,  and  accompanied  them  in  their  walk. 

One  morning  he  was  walking  with  the  two  younger 
girls,  while  Marie  and  the  old  nurse  were  together  a 
short  distance  in  front  of  them.  They  had  just  reached 
the  flower-market,  which  was  generally  the  main  object 
of  their  walks — for  the  girls,  having  passed  most  of  their 
time  in  the  country,  were  passionately  fond  of  flowers — 
when  a  man  on  horseback  wearing  a  red  sash,  which 
showed  him  to  be  an  official  of  the  republic,  came  along 
at  a  footpace.  His  eyes  fell  upon  Marie's  face  and  rested 
there,  at  first  with  the  look  of  doubtful  recognition,  fol- 
lowed by  a  start  of  surprise  and  satisfaction.  He  reined 
in  his  horse  instantly,  with  the  exclamation : 

"Mademoiselle  de  St.  Caux!" 

For  a  moment  she  shrank  back,  her  cheek  paler  even 
than  before ;  then  recovering  herself  she  said  calmly : 

"It  is  myself,  Monsieur  Lebat. " 

"Citizen  Lebat,"  he  corrected.  "You  forget,  there 
are  no  titles  now — we  have  changed  all  that.  It  goes  to 
my  heart,"  he  went  on  with  a  sneer,  "to  be  obliged  to 
do  my  duty;  but  however  unplesant  it  is,  it  must  be 
done.  Citizens,"  he  said,  raising  his  voice,  "I  want  two 
men  well  disposed  to  the  state." 

As  to  be  ill  disposed  meant  danger  if  not  death,  several 
men  within  hearing  at  once  came  forward. 

"This  female  citizen  is  an  aristocrat  in  disguise,"  he 
went  on,  pointing  to  Marie ;  "in  virtue  of  my  office  as 
deputy  of  Dijon  and  member  of  the  Committee  of  Public 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  143 

Safety,  I  arrest  her  and  give  her  into  your  charge. 
Where  is  the  person  who  was  with  her?  Seize  her  also 
on  a  charge  of  harboring  an  enemy  of  the  state!" 

But  Louise  was  gone.  The  moment  Lebat  had  looked 
round  in  search  of  assistance  Marie  had  whispered  in 
Louise's  ear:  "Fly,  Louise,  for  the  sake  of  the  children; 
if  you  are  arrested  they  are  lost. ' ' 

Had  she  herself  been  alone  concerned,  the  old  woman 
would  have  stood  by  Marie  and  shared  her  fate;  but  the 
words  "for  the  sake  of  the  children"  decided  her,  and 
she  had  instantly  slipped  away  among  the  crowd,  whose 
attention  had  been  called  by  Lebat's  first  words,  and 
dived  into  a  small  shop,  where  she  at  once  began  to 
bargain  for  some  eggs. 

"Where  is  the  woman?"  Lebat  repeated  angrily. 

"What  is  she  like?"  one  of  the  bystanders  asked. 

But  Lebat  could  give  no  description  whatever  of  her. 
He  had  noticed  that  Marie  was  speaking  to  some  one 
when  he  first  caught  sight  of  her  face;  but  he  had  noticed 
nothing  more,  and  did  not  know  whether  the  woman  was 
young  or  old. 

"I  can't  tell  you,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of  vexation. 
"Never  mind;  we  shall  find  her  later  on.  This  capture 
is  the  most  important." 

So  saying  he  set  out,  with  Marie  walking  beside  him, 
with  a  guard  on  either  hand.  In  the  next  street  he  came 
on  a  party  of  four  of  the  armed  soldiers  of  the  Commune, 
and  ordered  them  to  take  the  place  of  those  he  had  first 
charged  with  the  duty,  and  directed  them  to  proceed 
with  him  to  the  Mairie. 

Marie  was  taken  at  once  before  the  committee  sitting 
en  permanence  for  the  discovery  and  arrest  of  suspects. 

"I  charge  this  young  woman  with  being  an  aristocrat 
in  disguise.     She  is  the  daughter  of  the  ci-devant   Mar- 


144  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERMOR 

quis  de  St.  Caux,  who  was  executed  on  the  2d  of  Septem- 
ber at  Bicetre. ' ' 

"Murdered,  you  mean,  sir,"  Marie  said  in  a  clear, 
haughty  voice.  "Why  not  call  things  by  their  proper 
name?" 

"I  am  sorry,"  Lebat  went  on,  not  heeding  the  inter- 
ruption, "that  it  should  fall  to  my  lot  to  denounce  her, 
for  I  acknowledge  that  in  the  days  before  our  glorious 
Eevolution  commenced  I  have  visited  at  her  father's 
chateau.  But  I  feel  that  my  duty  to  the  republic  stands 
before  any  private  considerations." 

"You  have  done  perfectly  right,"  the  president  of  the 
committee  said.  "As  I  understand  that  the  accused  does 
not  deny  that  she  is  a  daughter  of  the  ci-devant  marquis, 
I  will  at  once  sign  the  order  for  her  committal  to  La 
Force.  There  is  room  there  still,  though  the  prisons  are 
filling  up  again  fast." 

"We  must  have  another  jail  delivery, "  one  of  the 
committee  laughed  brutally;  and  a  murmur  of  assent 
passed  through  the  chamber. 

The  order  was  made  out,  and  Marie  was  handed  over 
to  the  armed  guard,  to  be  taken  with  the  next  batch  of 
prisoners  to  La  Force. 

Harry  was  some  twenty  yards  behind  Marie  and  her 
companion  when  Lebat  checked  his  horse  before  her. 
He  recognized  the  man  instantly,  and  saw  that  Marie's 
disguise  was  discovered.  His  first  impulse  was  to  rush 
forward  to  her  assistance,  but  the  hopelessness  of  any 
attempt  at  interference  instantly  struck  him,  and  to  the 
surprise  of  the  two  girls,  who  were  looking  into  a  shop, 
and  had  not  noticed  what  was  occurring,  he  turned  sud- 
denly with  them  down  a  side  street. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Harry?  We  shall  lose  the 
others  in  the  crowd  if  we  do  not  keep  them  in  sight," 
Jeanne  said. 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  145 

*'I  know  what  I  am  doing,  Jeanne;  I  will  tell  you 
presently."  He  walked  along  several  streets  until  he 
came  to  an  unfrequented  thoroughfare. 

"There  is  something  wrong,  Harry,  I  see  it  in  your 
face!"  Jeanne  exclaimed.     "Tell  us  at  once. " 

"It  is  bad  news, "  Harry  said  quietly.  "Try  and  nerve 
yourselves,  my  dear  girls,  for  you  will  need  all  your  cour- 
age.    Marie  is  captured. ' ' 

"Oh,  Harry!"  Virginie  exclaimed,  bursting  into  tears, 
while  Jeanne  stood  still  and  motionless. 

"Why  are  you  taking  us  away?"  she  said  in  a  hard, 
sharp  voice  which  Harry  would  not  have  recognized  as 
hers.  "Our  place  is  with  her,  and  where  she  goes  we 
will  go.  You  have  no  right  to  lead  us  away.  We  will 
go  back  to  her  at  once." 

"You  can  do  her  no  good,  Jeanne,  dear,"  Harry  said 
gently.  "You  could  not  help  her,  and  it  would  only 
add  to  her  misery  if  Virginie  and  you  were  also  in  their 
hands.  Beside,  we  can  be  of  more  use  outside.  Trust 
to  me,  Jeanne;  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  save  her, 
whatever  the  risk." 

"You  could  not  save  our  father  and  mother,"  Jeanne 
said  vvith  a  quivering  lip. 

"No,  dear;  but  I  would  have  saved  them  had  there 
been  a  little  time  to  do  so.  This  time  I  hope  to  be  more 
successful.  Courage,  Jeanne,  do  not  give  way;  I  depend 
on  your  clear  head  to  help  me.  Beside,  till  we  can  get 
her  back,  you  have  to  fill  Marie's  place  and  look  after 
Virginie." 

The  appeal  was  successful,  and  Jeanne  bursfc  into  a 
passion  of  tears.  Harry  did  not  try  to  check  them,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  sobs  ceased  and  Jeanne  raised  her 
head  again. 

"I  feel  better  now,"  she  said.     "Come,  Virginie,  and 


146  IN  THE  REIGN' OF  TERROR. 

dry  your  eyes,  darling;  we  shall  have  plenty  of'tiine  to 
cry  afterward.  Are  we  to  go  home,  Harry?  Have  they 
taken  Louise?" 

"I  do  not  know,  Jeanne;  that  is  the  first  thing  to  find 
out,  for  if  they  have,  it  will  not  be  safe  for  you  to  return. 
Let  us  push  on  now,  so  that  if  she  has  not  been  taken  we 
shall  reach  home  before  her.  We  will  place  ourselves  at 
the  corner  of  your  street  and  wait  for  an  hour ;  she  may 
spend  some  time  in  looking  for  us,  but  if  she  does  not 
come  by  the  end  of  that  time  I  shall  feel  sure  that  it  is 
because  she  cannot  come,  and  in  that  case  I  must  look 
out  for  another  place  for  you." 

They  hurried  on  until  they  were  nearly  home,  the  brisk 
walk  having,  as  Harry  had  calculated  it  would  do,  had 
the  effect  of  preventing  their  thoughts  from  dwelling 
upon  Marie's  capture.  They  had  not  been  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  at  their  post  when  Harry  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  satisfaction  as  he  saw  Louise  Moulin  ap- 
proaching.    The  two  girls  hurried  to  meet  her. 

"Thank  God  you  are  both  safe,  dears!"  she  exclaimed 
with  tears  streaming  down  her  cheeks.  "I  thought  of 
you  in  the  middle  of  it  all ;  but  I  was  sure  that  Monsieur 
Sandwith  would  see  what  was  being  done  and  would  get 
you  awajr." 

"And  you,  Louise,"  said  Harry,  who  had  now  come 
up,  "how  did  you  get  away?  I  bave  been  terribly  anx- 
ious, thinking  that  they  might  seize  you  too,  and  that 
would  have  been  dreadful." 

"So  they  would  have  clone,"  the  old  woman  said;  "but 
when  that  evil  man  looked  away  for  a  moment,  made- 
moiselle whispered,  'Fly,  Louise,  for  the  children's  sake!' 
and  I  slipped  away  into  the  crowd  without  even  stopping 
to  think,  and  ran  into  a  shop;  and  it  was  well  I  did,  for 
he  shouted  to  them  to  seize  me  too,  but  I  was  gone,  and 


IN  THE  BfHSffN  OF  TERROR.  14? 

as  I  don't  think  he  noticed  me  before,  they  could  not  find 
me ;  and  as  soon  as  they  had  all  moved  away  I  came  out.  I 
looked  for  you  for  some  time  and  then  made  up  my  mind 
that  Monsieur  Sandwith  had  come  on  home  with  you." 

"So  I  did,  you  see,"  Harry  said;  "but  I  did  not  dare 
to  go  in  until  we  knew  whether  jrou  had  been  taken  too. 
If  you  had  not  come  after  a  time  we  should  have  looked 
for  another  lodging,  though  I  knew  well  enough  that  you 
would  not  tell  them  where  you  lived." 

"No,  indeed,"  the  old  woman  said.  "They  might 
have  cut  me  in  pieces  without  getting  a  single  word  from 
me  as  to  where  I  lived.  Still  they  might  have  found  out 
somehow,  for  they  would  have  been  sure  to  have  pub- 
ished  the  fact  that  I  had  been  taken,  with  a  description 
of  me.  Then  the  neighbors  would  have  said,  'This  de- 
scription is  like  Louise  Moulin,  and  she  is  missing;'  and 
then  they  would  have  talked,  and  the  end  of  it  would 
have  been  you  would  have  been  discovered.  Will  you 
come  home  with  us,  Monsieur  Sandwith?" 

"I  will  come  after  it's  dark,  Louise.  The  less  my 
visits  are  noticed  the  better." 

"This  is  awful!"  Harry  said  to  himself  as  he  turned 
away.  "The  marquis  and  his  wife  massacred,  Ernest  and 
Jules  murdered,  Marie  in  prison,  Victor  mad  with  fever, 
Jeanne  and  Virginie  with  no  one  to  trust  to  but  me,  my 
people  at  home  in  a  frightful  state  of  mind  about  me. 
It  is  awful  to  think  of.  It's  enough  to  drive  a  fellow  out 
of  his  senses.  Well,  I  will  go  and  see  how  Victor  is 
going  on.  The  doctor  thought  there  was  a  change  yes- 
terday. Poor  fellow!  if  he  comes  to  his  senses  I  shall 
have  hard  work  to  keep  the  truth  about  Marie  from  him. 
It  would  send  him  off  again  worse  than  ever  if  he  had 
an  idea  of  it." 

"And  how  is  your  patient  to-day,  madame?"  he  asked, 
as  Victor's  nurse  opened  the  door  to  him. 


148  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"He  is  quieter,  much  quieter,"  she  replied.  "I  think 
he  is  too  weak  to  rave  any  longer;  but  otherwise  he's 
just  the  same.  He  lies  with  his  eyes  open,  talking  some- 
times to  himself,  but  I  cannot  make  out  any  sense  in 
what  he  says.  The  doctor  has  been  here  this  morning, 
and  he  says  that  he  thinks  another  two  days  will  decide. 
If  he  does  not  take  a  turn  then  he  will  die.  If  he  does, 
he  may  live,  but  even  then  he  may  not  get  his  reason 
again.  Poor  young  fellow !  I  feel  for  him  almost  as  if 
he  were  my  son,  and  so  does  Jacques." 

"You  are  both  very  good,  madame,"  Harry  said,  "and 
my  friend  is  fortunate  indeed  to  have  fallen  into  such 
good  hands.  I  will  sit  with  him  for  three  or  four  hours 
now,  and  you  had  better  go  and  get  a  little  fresh  air." 

"That  I  will,  monsieur.  Jacques  is  asleep.  He  was 
up  with  him  all  last  night,  and  I  had  a  good  night.  He 
would  have  it  so." 

"Quite  right,"  Harry  said.  "You  must  not  knock 
yourself  up,  madame.  You  are  too  useful  to  others  for 
us  to  let  you  do  that.  To-morrow  night  I  will  take  my 
turn." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  149 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ROBESPIERRE. 

After  dark  Harry  presented  himself  at  Louise  Moulin's. 

"Have  you  thought  of  anything,  Harry?"  was  Jeanne's 
first  question.  She  was  alone,  for  Louise  was  cooking, 
and  Virginie  had  lain  down  and  cried  herself  to  sleep. 

"I  have  thought  of  a  number  of  things,"  he  replied, 
for  while  he  had  been  sitting  by  Victor's  bedside  he  had 
turned  over  in  his  mind  every  scheme  by  which  he  could 
get  Marie  out  of  prison,  "but  at  present  I  have  fixed 
upon  nothing.  I  cannot  carry  out  our  original  plan  of 
seizing  Marat.  It  would  require  more  than  one  to  carry 
out  such  a  scheme,  and  the  friend  whom  I  relied  upon 
before  can  no  longer  aid  me." 

"Who  is  it?"  Jeanne  asked  quietly.  "Is  it  Victor  de 
Gisons?" 

"What!  bless  me,  Jeanne!"  Harry  exclaimed  in  sur- 
prise, "how  did  you  guess  that?" 

"I  felt  sure  it  was  Victor  all  along, "  the  girl  said. 
"In  the  first  place  I  never  believed  that  he  had  gone  away. 
Marie  told  me  she  had  begged  and  prayed  him  to  go, 
and  that  he  had  only  gone  to  please  her.  She  seemed  to 
think  it  was  right  he  should  go,  but  I  didn't  think  so. 
A  gentleman  would  not  run  away  and  leave  any  one  he 
liked  behind,  even  if  she  told  him.  It  was  not  likely. 
Why,  here  are  you  staying  here  and  risking  your  life  for 
us,  though  we  are  not  related  to  you  and  have  no  claim 
upon  you.     And  how   could  Victor  run  away?     But  as 


150  -    -EV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Marie  seemed  pleased  to  think  he  was  safe  I  said  nothing; 
but  I  know,  if  he  had  gone  and  some  day  they  had  been 
married,  I  should  never  have  looked  upon  him  as  a 
brother.  But  I  felt  sure  he  wouldn't  do  it,  and  that  he 
was  in  Paris  still.  Then,  again,  you  did  not  tell  us  the 
name  of  the  friend  who  was  working  with  you,  and  I  felt 
sure  you  must  have  some  reason  for  your  silence.  So, 
putting  the  two  things  together,  I  was  sure  that  it  was 
Victor.  What  has  happened  to  him?  Is  he  in  prison 
too?" 

"No,  he  is  not  in  prison,  Jeanne,"  Harry  said,  "but  he 
is  very  ill."  And  he  related  the  whole  circumstances  of 
Victor's  fever.  "I  blamed  myself  awfully  at  first  for 
having  hit  him  so  hard,  as  you  may  suppose,  Jeanne; 
but  the  doctor  thinks  it  made  no  difference,  and  that 
Victor's  delirium  is  due  to  the  mental  shock  and  not  in 
any  way  to  the  blow  on  the  head.  Still  I  should  not 
like  your  sister  to  know  it.  I  am  very  glad  you  have 
guessed  the  truth,  for  it  is  a  comfort  to  talk  things  over 
with  you." 

"Poor  Marie!"  Jeanne  said  softly;  "it  is  well  she 
never  knew  about  it.  The  thought  he  had  got  safely 
away  kept  her  up.  And  now  tell  me  about  your  plans. 
Could  I  not  take  Victor's  place  and  help  you  to  seize 
Marat?  I  am  not  strong,  you  know;  but  I  could  hold  a 
knife,  and  tell  him  I  would  kill  him  if  he  cried  out.  I 
don't  think  I  could,  you  know,  but  he  wouldn't  know 
that." 

"I  am  afraid  that  wouldn't  do,  Jeanne,"  Harry  said 
with  a  slight  smile,  shaking  his  head.  "It  was  a  des- 
perate enterprise  for  two  of  us.  Beside,  it  would  never 
do  for  you  to  run  the  risk  of  being  separated  from  Vir- 
ginie.  Remember  you  are  father  and  mother  and  elder 
sister  to  her  now.     The  next  plan  I  thought  of  was  to  try 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  151 

and  get  appointed  as  a  warder  in  the  prison,  but  that 
seems  full  of  difficulties,  for  I  know  no  one  who  could  get 
me  such  a  berth,  and  certainly  they  would  not  appoint  a 
fellow  at  my  age  unless  by  some  extraordinary  influence. 
Then  I  thought  if  I  let  out  I  was  English  I  might  get 
arrested  and  lodged  in  the  same  prison,  and  might  help 
her  to  get  out  then.  From  what  I  hear  the  prisoners  are 
not  separated,  but  all  live  together." 

"No,  no,  Harry,"  Jeanne  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  sharp 
pain,  "you  must  not  do  that  of  all  things.  "We  have  only 
you,  and  if  you  are  once  in  prison  you  might  never  get 
out  again ;  beside,  there  are  lots  of  other  prisons,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  send  you  to  La  Force 
rather  than  anywhere  else.  -  No,  I  will  never  consent  to 
that  plan. ' ' 

"I  thought  it  seemed  too  doubtful  myself,"  Harry 
said.  "Of  course,  if  I  knew  that  thy  would  send  me  to 
La  Force,  I  might  risk  it.  I  could  hide  a  file  and  a  steel 
saw  about  me,  and  might  cut  through  the  bars ;  but,  as 
you  say,  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  send  me 
there  rather  than  anywhere  else.  I  would  kill  that  villain 
who  arrested  her — the  scoundrel,  after  being  a  guest  at 
the  chateau! — but  I  don't  see  as  that  would  do  your  sis- 
ter any  good,  and  would  probably  end  in  my  being  shut 
up.  The  most  hopeful  plan  seems  to  me  to  try  and  bribe 
some  of  the  warders.  Some  of  them,  no  doubt,  would 
be  glad  enough  to  take  money  if  they  could  see  their  way 
to  letting  her  out  without  fear  of  detection." 

"But  you  know  we  thought  of  that  before,  Harry,  and 
agreed  it  would  be  a  terrible  risk  to  try  it,  for  the  very 
first  man  you  spoke  to  might  turn  round  on  you." 

"Of  course  there  is  a  certain  risk,  Jeanne,  anyway. 
There  is  no  getting  a  prisoner  out  of  La  Force  without 
running  some  sort  of  risk;  the  thing  is  to  fix  on  as  safe  a 


152  IX  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

plan  as  we  can.  However,  we  must  think  it  out  well  be- 
fore we  do  try.  A  failure  would  be  fatal,  and  I  do  not 
think  there  is  any  pressing  danger  just  at  present.  It  is 
hardly  likely  there  will  be  any  repetition  of  the  wholesale 
work  of  the  2d  of  September;  and  if  they  have  anything 
like  a  trial  of  the  prisoners,  there  are  such  numbers  of 
them,  so  many  arrested  every  day,  that  it  may  be  a  long 
time  before  they  come  to  your  sister.  I  do  not  mean 
that  we  should  trust  to  that,  only  that  there  is  time  for 
us  to  make  our^plans  properly.  Have  you  thought  of 
anything?" 

"I  have  thought  of  all  sorts  of  things  since  you  left  us 
this  morning,  Harry,  but  they  are  like  yours,  just  vague 
Bort  of  schemes  that  do  not  seem  possible  when  you  try 
to  work  them  out.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  let  you 
inside  the  prisons  to  sell  everything  to  the  prisoners,  be- 
cause if  they  did  I  might  go  in  with  something  and  see 
Marie,  and  find  out  how  she  could  be  got  out," 

Harry  shook  his  head. 

"I  do  not  think  any  one  would  be  allowed  in  like  that, 
but  if  they  did  it  would  only  be  a  few  to  whom  the  priv- 
ilege would  be  granted." 

"Yes,  I  thought  of  that,  Harry;  but  one  of  them  might 
be  bribed  perhaps  to  let  me  take  her  place." 

"It  might  be  possible,"  Harry  said,  "but  there  would 
be  a  terrible  risk,  and  I  don't  think  any  advantage  to 
compensate  for  it.  Even  if  you  did  get  to  her  and  spoke 
to  her,  we  should  still  be  no  nearer  to  getting  her  out. 
Still  we  mustn't  be  disheartened.  We  can  hardly  expect 
to  hit  upon  a  scheme  at  once,  and  I  don't  think  either  of 
our  heads  is  very  clear  to-day;  let  us  think  it  over 
quietly,  and  perhaps  some  other  idea  may  occur  to  one 
of  us — I  expect  it  will  be  to  you.  Now,  good-night ; 
keep  your   courage  up.     I  rely  very   much   upon  you, 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  153 

Jeanne,  and  you  don't  know  what  a  comfort  it  is  to  me 
that  you  are  calm  and  brave,  and  that  I  can  talk  things 
over  to  you.  I  don't  know  what  I  should  do  if  I  had  it 
all  on  my  own  shoulders." 

Jeanne  made  no  answer,  but  her  eyes  were  full  of  tears 
as  she  put  her  hands  into  Harry's,  and  no  sound  came 
from  her  lips  in  answer  to  his  good-night. 

"That  girl's  a  trump,  and  no  mistake,"  Harry  said  to 
himself  as  he  descended  the  stairs.  "She  has  got  more 
pluck  than  most  women,  and  is  as  cool  and  calm  as  if  she 
were  twice  her  age.  Most  girls  would  be  quite  knocked 
over  if  they  were  in  her  place.  Her  father  and  mother 
murdered,  her  sister  in  the  hands  of  these  wretches,  and 
danger  hanging  over  herself  and  Virginie!  It  isn't  that 
she  doesn't  feel  it.  I  can  see  she  does,  quite  as  much,  if 
not  more,  than  people  who  would  sit  down  and  howl  and 
wring  their  hands.  She  is  a  trump,  Jeanne  is,  and  no 
mistake.  And  now  about  Marie.  She  must  be  got  out 
somehow,  but  how?  that  is  the  question.  I  really  don't 
see  any  possible  way  except  by  bribing  her  guards,  and 
I  haven't  the  least  idea  how  to  set  about  that.  I  think 
to-morrow  I  will  tell  Jacques  and  his  wife  all  about  it; 
they  may  know  some  of  these  men,  though  it  isn't  likely 
that  they  do;  anj'how,  three  heads  are  better  than  one." 

Accordingly,  next  morning  he  took  the  kind-hearted 
couple  into  his  counsel.  When  they  heard  that  the 
young  lady  who  had  been  arrested  was  the  fiancee  of 
their  sick  lodger  they  were  greatly  interested,  but  they 
shook  their  heads  when  he  told  them  that  he  was  deter- 
mined at  all  hazards  to  get  her  out  of  prison. 

"It  isn't  the  risk  so  much,"  Jacques  said,  "that  Hook 
at.  Life  doesn't  seem  of  so  much  account  in  these  days; 
but  how  could  it  be  done?  Even  if  you  made  up  your 
mind  to  be  killed,  I  don't  see  that  you  would  put  her  a 


154  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"bit  nearer  to  getting  out  of  prison ;  the  place  is  too  strong 
to  break  into  or  to  break  out  of. " 

"No,  I  don't  think  it  is  possible  to  succeed  in  that  sort 
of  way ;  but  if  the  men  who  have  the  keys  of  the  corri- 
dors could  be  bribed,  and  the  guard  at  the  gate  put 
soundly  to  sleep  by  drugging  their  drink,  it  might  be 
managed." 

Jacques  looked  sharply  at  Harry  to  see  if  he  was  in 
earnest,  and  seeing  that  he  was  so,  said  dryly : 

"Yes,  if  we  could  do  those  things  we  should,  no  doubt, 
see  our  way;  but  how  could  it  be  managed?" 

"That  is  just  the  point,  Jacques.  In  the  first  place  it 
will  be  necessary  to  find  out  in  which  corridor  Made- 
moiselle de  St.  Caux  is  confined ;  in  the  second,  to  let  her 
know  that  we  are  working  for  her,  and  to  learn,  if  possi- 
ble, from  her  whether,  among  those  in  charge  of  her, 
there  is  one  man  who  shows  some  sort  of  feeling  of  pity 
and  kindness;  when  that  is  done  we  should,  of  course, 
try  to  get  hold  of  him.  Of  course,  he  doesn't  remain  in 
the  prison  all  day.  However,  we  can  see  about  that  after 
we  have  found  out  the  first  points." 

"I  know  a  woman  who  is  sister  to  one  of  the  warders," 
Elise  Medart  said.  "I  don't  know  whether  he  is  there 
now  or  whether  he  has  been  turned  out.  Martha  is  a 
good  soul,  and  I  know  that  sometimes  she  has  been  inside 
the  prison,  I  suppose  to  see  her  brother,  for  before  the 
troubles  the  warders  used  to  get  out  only  once  a  month. 
"What  her  brother  is  like  I  don't  know,  but  if  he  is  like 
her  he  would,  I  think,  be  just  the  man  to  help  you." 

"Yes,"  Jacques  assented,  "I  didn't  think  of  Martha. 
She  is  a  good  soul  and  would  do  her  best,  I  am  sure." 

"Thank  you  both, "Harry  said;  "but I  do  not  wish  you 
to  run  any  risks.  You  have  already  incurred  the  great- 
est danger  by  sheltering   my  friend ;  I   cannot  let  you 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  155 

hazard  your  lives  further.  This  woman  may,  as  you  say, 
he  ready  to  help  us,  but  her  brother  might  betray  the 
whole  of  us,  and  screen  his  sister  by  saying  she  had  only 
pretended  to  enter  into  the  plot  in  order  to  betray  it." 

"We  all  risk  our  lives  every  day,"  Jacques  said  quietly. 
"I  [am  sure  we  can  trust  Martha,  and  she  will  know 
whether  she  can  rely  completely  upon  her  brother.  If 
she  can,  we  will  set  her  to  sound  him.  Elise  will  go  and 
see  her  to-day,  and  you  shall  know  what  she  thinks  of  it 
when  you  come  this  evening  for  your  night's  watching." 

Greatly  pleased  with  this  unexpected  stroke  of  luck, 
Harry  went  off  at  once  to  tell  Jeanne  that  the  outline  of 
a  plan  to  rescue  Marie  had  been  fixed  upon. 

The  girl's  pale  face  brightened  up  at  the  news. 

"Perhaps,"  she  said,  "we  may  be  able  to  send  a  letter 
in  to  her.  I  should  like  so  to  send  her  just  a  line  to  say 
that  Virginie  and  I  are  well.  Do  you  think  it  can  be 
-done?" 

"I  do  not  know,  Jeanne.  At  any  rate  you  can  rely  that, 
if  it  is  possible  and  all  goes  well,  she  shall  have  it;  but 
be  sure  and  give  no  clew  by  which  they  might  find  you 
out,  if  the  letter  falls  into  wrong  hands.  Tell  her  we  are 
working  to  get  her  free,  and  ask  if  she  can  suggest  any 
way  of  escape ;  knowing  the  place  she  may  see  opportu- 
nities of  which  we  know  nothing.  "Write  it  very  small, 
only  on  a  tiny  piece  of  paper,  so  that  a  man  can  hide  it 
anywhere,  slip  it  into  her  hand,  or  put  it  in  her  ration  of 
bread." 

Jeanne  wrote  the  little  note — a  few  loving  words,  and 
the  message  Harry  had  given  her. 

"Do  not  sign  your  name  to  it,"  Harry  said;  "she  will 
know  well  enough  who  it  comes  from,  and  it  is  better  in 
case  it  should  fall  into  any  one  else's  hands." 

That  evening  Harry  learned  that  the  woman  had  con- 


156  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

sented  to  sound  her  brother,  who  was  still  employed  in 
the  prison.  She  had  said  she  was  sure  that  he  would  not 
betray  her  even  if  he  refused  to  aid  in  the  plan. 

"I  am  to  see  her  to-morrow  morning,"  Elise  said. 
"She  will  go  straight  from  me  to  the  prison.  She  says 
discipline  is  not  nearly  so  strict  as  it  used  to  be.  There 
is  a  very  close  watch  kept  over  the  prisoners,  but  friends 
of  the  guards  can  go  in  and  out  without  trouble,  except 
that  on  leaving  they  have  to  be  accompanied  by  the  guard 
to  the  door,  so  as  to  be  sure  that  no  one  is  passing  out  in 
disguise.  She  says  her  brother  is  good-natured  but  very 
fond  of  money.  He  is  always  talking  of  retiring  and 
settling  down  on  a  farm  in  Brittany,  where  he  comes 
from,  and  she  thinks  that  if  he  thought  he  could  gain 
enough  to  do  this  he  would  be  ready  to  run  some  risk, 
for  he  hates  the  terrible  things  that  are  being  done  now.'* 

"He  seems  just  the  man  for  us, "  Harry  said.  "Will 
you  tell  your  friend,  when  you  see  her  in  the  morning, 
that  I  will  give  her  twenty  louis  and  her  brother  a  hun- 
dred if  he  can  succeed  in  getting  Marie  out?" 

"I  will  tell  them,  sir.  That  offer  will  set  his  wits  to 
work,  I  have  no  doubt." 

Harry  then  gave  her  the  note  Jeanne  had  written,  for 
the  woman  to  hand  to  her  brother  for  delivery  if  he 
proved  willing  to  enter  into  their  plan.  Harry  had  a 
quiet  night  of  watching,  for  Victor  lay  so  still  that  his 
friend  several  times  leaned  over  him  to  see  if  he  breathed. 
The  doctor  had  looked  in  late  and  said  that  the  crisis 
was  at  hand. 

"To-morrow  your  friend  will  either  sink  or  he  will  turn 
the  corner.  He  is  asleep  now  and  will  probably  sleep  for 
many  hours.  He  may  never  wake  again ;  he  may  wake, 
recognize  you  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  go  off  in  a 
last  stupor;  he  may  wake  stronger  and  with  a  chance  of 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  157 

life.  Here  is  a  draught  that  jrou  will  give  him  as  soon 
as  he  opens  his  eyes ;  pour  beside  three  or  four  spoon- 
fuls of  soup  down  his  throat,  and  if  he  keeps  awake  do 
the  same  every  half  hour." 

It  was  not  until  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  Victor 
opened  his  eyes.  He  looked  vaguely  round  the  room 
and  there  was  no  recognition  in  his  eyes  as  they  fell 
upon  Harry's  face,  but  they  had  lost  the  wild  expression 
they  had  worn  while  he  had  lain  there,  and  Harry  felt 
renewed  hope  as  he  lifted  his  head  and  poured  the 
draught  between  his  lips.  Then  he  gave  him  a  few 
spoonfuls  of  soup  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his 
eyes  close  again  and  his  breathing  become  more  and 
more  regular.  The  doctor,  when  he  came  in  and  felt 
Victor's  pulse,  nodded  approval. 

"The  fever  has  quite  left  him,"  he  said,  "I  think  he 
will  do  now.  It  will  be  slow,  very  slow,  but  I  think  he 
will  regain  his  strength ;  as  to  his  mind,  of  that  I  can 
say  nothing  at  present." 

About  midday  Elise  returned. 

"I  have  good  news,  monsieur, "  she  said  at  once.  "I 
waited  outside  the  prison  till  Martha  came  out.  Her 
brother  has  agreed  to  help  if  he  can,  but  he  said  that  he 
did  not  think  that  it  would  be  at  all  possible  to  get 
mademoiselle  out.  There  are  many  of  the  men  of  the 
faubourgs  mixed  up  with  the  old  warders,  and  there  is 
the  greatest  vigilance  to  insure  that  none  escape.  There 
would  be  many  doors  to  be  opened,  and  the  keys  are  all 
held  by  different  persons.  He  says  he  will  think  it  over, 
and  if  it  is  any  way  possible  he  will  risk  it.  But  he 
wishes  first  of  all  to  declare  that  he  does  not  think  that 
any  way  of  getting  her  out  can  be  discovered.  He  will 
give  her  the  note  on  the  first  opportunity,  and  get  an 
answer  from  her,  which  he  will  send  to  his  sister  as  soon 
as  he  gets  a  chance." 


158  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"That  is  all  we  can  expect,"  Harry  said  joyfully.  "I 
did  not  expect  that  it  would  be  an  easy  business,  or  that 
the  man  would  be  able  to  hit  upon  a  scheme  at  once ;  but 
now  that  he  has  gone  so  far  as  to  agree  to  carry  notes, 
the  thought  that  he  may,  if  he  succeeds,  soon  have  his 
little  farm  in  Brittany,  will  sharpen  his  wits  up  wonder- 
fully." 

It  was  three  days  before  an  answer  came  from  Marie. 
Jacques  handed.it  to  Harry  when  he  came  to  take  his 
turn  by  Victor's  bedside.  Victor  was  better;  he  was  no 
longer  unconscious,  but  followed  with  his  eyes  the  move- 
ments of  those  in  the  room.  Once  he  had  said,  ""Where 
am  I?"  but  the  answer  "You  are  with  friends;  you  have 
been  ill;  you  shall  hear  all  about  it  when  you  get 
stronger,"  had  apparently  satisfied  him.  At  Harry  he 
looked  with  doubtful  recognition.  He  seemed  to  remem- 
ber the  face,  but  to  have  no  further  idea  about  it,  and 
even  when  Harry  said  cheerfully : 

"Don't  you  remember  your  friend  Harry,  Victor?"  he 
had  shaken  his  head  in  feeble  negative. 

"I  expect  it  will  all  come  back  to  him,"  Jacques  said, 
"as  he  gets  stronger;  "and  after  all  it  is  much  better 
that  he  should  remember  nothing  at  present.  It  will  be 
quite  time  enough  for  that  when  he  is  better  able  to 
stand  it." 

"I  agree  with  you  there,"  Harry  said,  "and  I  am 
really  glad  that  he  did  not  remember  me,  for  had  he- 
done  so  the  past  might  have  come  back  at  once  and, 
feeble  as  he  is,  that  would  have  completely  knocked  him: 
over." 

Upon  the  receipt  of  Marie's  note  Harry  at  once  started 
off  at  full  speed  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  handing 
it  to  Jeanne. 

She  tore  it  open. 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERMOR.  15^ 

"Do  you  not  know  what  it  is,  Harry?" 

"How  could  I?"  Harry  replied.  "As  you  see  the 
letter  is  addressed  to  you.  Of  course  I  should  not  think 
of  looking  at  it." 

"Why  not?  You  are  as  much  interested  in  it  as  I  am. 
Sit  down  between  me  and  Virginie  and  let  us  read  it  to- 
gether.    Why,  it  is  quite  a  long  epistle." 

It  was  written  in  pencil  upon  what  was  evidently  a  fly- 
leaf of  a  book,  and  ran  as  follows : 

"My  darling  Jeanne  and  Yirginie,  you  can  imagine 
what  joy  I  felt  when  J.  received  your  little  note  to-day 
and  heard  that  you  were  still  safe.  I  could  hardly  be- 
lieve my  senses  when,  on  opening  the  little  ball  of  paper 
which  one  of  our  guards  thrust  into  my  hand,  I  found 
that  it  was  from  you,  and  that  you  were  both  safe  and 
well.  I  am  writing  this  crouched  down  on  the  ground 
behind  Madame  de  Vigny,  and  so  hidden  from  the  sight 
of  our  guards,  but  I  can  only  write  a  few  lines  at  a  time, 
lest  I  should  be  detected.  Tell  our  good  friend  that  I 
fear  there  is  little  chance  of  escape.  We  are  watched 
night  and  day.  We  are  locked  up  at  night,  three  or  four 
together,  in  little  cells,  but  in  the  day  we  are  in  a  com- 
mon hall. 

"It  is  a  strange  mixture.  Here  are  many  of  the  best 
blood  in  France,  together  with  deputies,  advocates,  and 
writers.  We  may  talk  together  as  much  as  we  like,  and 
sometimes  even  a  joke  and  a  laugh  are  heard.  Every 
day  some  names  are  called  out,  and  these  go  and  we 
never  see  them  again.  Do  not  fret  about  me,  my  dear 
sisters,  we  are  all  in  God's  hands.  If  it  is  his  will,  we 
shall  be  saved ;  if  not,  we  must  face  bravely  whatever 
comes. 

"It  is  a  day  since  I  wrote  last.  A  strange  thing  has 
happened  which  will  make  your  blood  boil,  Jeanne,  as 
it  has  made  mine.  I  was  called  out  this  morning  to  a 
little  room  where  questions  are  sometimes  asked  us,  and 
who  do  you  think  was  there?  M.  Lebat,  the  son  of  the 
mayor  of  Dijon — the  man  who  denounced  and  arrested 


160  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

me.  "What  do  you  think  the  wretch  had  the  insolence  to 
say  ?  That  he  loved  me,  and  that  if  I  would  consent  to 
marry  him  he  could  save  me.  He  said  that  his  influence 
would  suffice,  not  only  to  get  me  free  but  to  obtain  for 
me  some  of  our  estates,  and  he  told  me  he  would  give  me 
time  to  consider  his  offer,  but  that  Tmust  remember  that 
nothing  could  save  me  if  I  refused.  "What  do  you  think 
I  did,  Jeanne?  Something  very  unladylike,  I  am  afraid. 
I  made  a  step  closer  to  him,  and  then  I  gave  him  a  slap 
on  the  face  which  made  my  fingers  tingle,  then  I  made 
him  a  deep  courtesy  and  said,  'That  is  my  answer,  Mon- 
sieur Lebat, '  and  walked  into  the  great  hall  again. 

"But  do  not  let  me  waste  a  line  of  his  last  precious 
letter  that  I  may  be  able  to  write  to  you  by  saying  more 
about  this  wretch.  I  can  see  no  possible  way  of  escape, 
dears,  so  do  not  buoy  yourselves  up  with  hope.  I  have 
none.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  you  we  are  not  very 
unhappy  here.  There  are  many  of  our  old  friends  and 
some  of  the  deputies  of  the  Gironde,  who  used  to  attend 
our  salon.  We  keep  up  each  other's  courage.  "We  talk 
of  other  things  just  as  if  we  were  in  a  drawing-room,  and 
when  the  list  is  called  out  of  a  morning,  those  who  are 
named  say  good-by  bravely ;  there  is  seldom  a  tear  shed. 

"So  do  not  think  of  me  as  wretched  or  unhappy  in 
these  last  days.  And  now,  my  sisters,  I  must  say  adieu. 
You  must  trust  yourselves  entirely  to  our  brave  English 
friend,  as  you  would  trust  a  brother.  He  will  do  all  that 
is  possible  to  take  you  out  of  this  unhappy  land  and  con- 
duct you  to  England,  where  you  will  find  Victor,  Mon- 
sieur du  Tillet,  and  your  brothers,  who  have,  I  trust, 
weeks  ago  arrived  there  in  safety.  Thank  our  friend 
from  me  and  from  our  dead  parents  for  his  goodness  and 
devotion.  That  your  lives  may  be  happy,  my  dear  sis- 
ters, will  be  the  last  prayer  of  your  loving  Marie. " 

Inside  the  letter  was  another  tiny  note  addressed  for 
Jeanne,  "Private."  Having  read  the  other,  Jeanne  took 
the  little  note  and  walking  to  the  window  opened  it.  As 
she  did  so  a  burning  flush  of  color  swept  across  her  face 
to  her  very  brow.     She  folded  it  carefully  again    and 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  161 

stood  looking  through  the  window  silently  for  another 
quarter  of  an  hour  before  she  came  back  to  the  table. 

"What  is  it,  Jeanne?"  Yirginie  asked;  "have you  been 
crying,  Jeanne  dear?  you  look  so  flushed.  You  must 
not  fret.  Harry  says  we  must  not  give  up  hope,  for 
that  he  believes  he  may  hit  upon  some  plan  for  saving 
Marie  yet.  He  says  it's  only  natural  that  she  should 
think  there  was  no  means  of  getting  away,  but  it  was 
only  what  he  expected.  It  is  we  who  must  invent  some- 
thing." 

"Yes,  dear,  we  will  try,"  Jeanne  said  with  a  quiver  in 
her  lip,  and  then  she  suddenly  burst  into  tears. 

"You  mustn't  give  way,  Jeanne,"  Harry  said,  when  she 
recovered  hersalf  a  little.  "You  know  how  much  I  trust 
to  your  advice ;  if  you  were  to  break  down  I  should  lose 
heart.  Do  not  think  of  Marie's  letter  as  a  good-by.  I 
have  not  lost  hope  yet,  by  a  long  way.  Why,  we  have 
done  wonders  already  in  managing  to  get  a  letter  in  to 
her  and  to  have  her  reply.  I  consider  half  the  difficulty 
is  over  now  we  have  a  friend  in  there." 

"I  will  try  not  to  break  down  again,"  Jeanne  said; 
"it  is  not  often  I  give  way,  but  to-day  I  do  not  feel  quite 
myself,  and  this  letter  finished  me.  You  will  see  I  shall 
be  all  right  to-morrow." 

"I  hope  so,"  Harry  said  as  he  rose  to  leave;  "but  I 
think  you  had  better  ask  Louise  to  give  you  something 
— your  hands  are  hot  and  your  cheeks  are  quite  flushed, 
and  you  look  to  me  as  if  you  were  feverish.  Good- 
night, dears!" 

"I  do  hope  Jeanne  is  not  going  to  break  down, "  Harry 
said  as  he  walked  toward  his  lodging.  "If  she  were  to 
get  laid  up  now  that  would  be  the  finishing  touch  to  the 
whole  affair;  but  perhaps,  as  she  says,  she  will  be  all 
right  in  the  morning.     No  doubt  in  that  note  Marie  wrote 


162  HT  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

as  if  she  were  sure  of  dying,  and  such  a  letter  as  that 
would  be  enough  to  upset  any  girl,  even  such  a  plucky 
one  as  Jeanne. 

"However,  it  is  of  Marie  I  must  think  now.  It  was  a 
brave  letter  of  hers;  it  is  clear  she  has  given  up  all  hope. 
This  is  a  bad  business  about  the  scoundrel  Lebat.  I 
used  to  wonder  why  he  came  so  often  to  the  chateau  on 
business  that  could  have  been  done  just  as  well  by  a  mes- 
senger. He  saw  how  things  were  going,  and  thought 
that  when  the  division  of  the  estates  came  he  might  get 
a  big  slice.  However,  it's  most  unfortunate  that  he 
should  have  had  this  interview  with  Marie  in  the  prison. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  that  it  might  have  been  months 
before  her  turn  came  for  trial.  As  it  is,  no  doubt  Lebat, 
will  have  her  name  put  down  at  once  in  the  list  of  those 
for  trial,  if  such  a  farce  can  be  called  a  trial,  and  will 
then  see  that  no  time  is  lost  before  it  appears  on  that 
fatal  list  for  execution. 

"He  will  flatter  himself,  of  course,  that  when  the  last 
moment  comes,  and  she  sees  that  there  is  no  hope  what- 
ever, she  will  change  her  mind.  There  is  one  thing,  if 
she  is  murdered  I  will  kill  him  as  I  would  a  dog,  for  he 
will  be  her  murderer  just  as  much  as  if  he  had  himself 
cut  her  throat.  I  would  do  it  at  once  if  it  were  not  for 
the  girls.  I  must  not  run  any  unnecessary  risks;  at  anjr 
rate,  I  need  not  think  of  him  now ;  the  one  thing  at 
present  is  to  get  Marie  out. ' ' 

Turning  this  over  in- his  mind,  he  walked  about  for 
some  hours,  scarce  noticing  where  he  was  going.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  there  must  be  some  way  of  getting* 
Marie  out  if  he  could  only  hit  upon  it.  He  turned  over 
in  his  mind  every  escape  he  had  ever  read  of,  but  in 
most  of  these  the  prisoner  had  been  a  man,  capable  of 
using  tools  passed  in  to  him   to  saw  through  iron   bars, 


Harry  rescues  Robespierre  froai  the  ASSASSINS.— Page  163. 
RclgnofT.] 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  163 

pierce  walls  or  overcome  jailers;  some  had  been  saved  by 
female  relatives,  wives  or  daughters,  who  went  in  and 
exchanged  clothes  and  places  with  them,  but  this  was  not 
feasible  here.  This  was  not  a  prison  where  relatives 
could  call  upon  friends,  for  to  be  a  relative  or  friend  of  a 
prisoner  was  quite  sufficient  in  the  eyes  of  the  terrorists 
to  mark  any  one  as  being  an  enemy  of  the  republic. 

He  was  suddenly  roused  from  his  reverie  by  a  cry,  and 
beneath  the  dim  light  of  a  lantern,  suspended  over  the 
narrow  street,  he  saw  a  man  feebly  defending  himself 
against  two  others.  He  sprang  forward  just  as  the  man 
fell,  and  with  his  stick  struck  a  sharp  blow  on  the  up- 
lifted wrist  of  one  of  the  asailants,  sending  the  knife  he 
was  holding  flying  through  the  air.  The  other  turned 
upon  him,  but  he  drew  the  pistol  which  he  always  car- 
ried beneath  his  clothes,  and  the  two  men  at  once  took  to 
their  heels.  Harry  replaced  his  pistol  and  stooped  over 
the  fallen  man. 

"Are  you  badly  hurt?"  he  asked. 

"No,  I  think  not,  but  I  do  not  know.  I  think  I 
slipped  down ;  but  they  would  have  killed  me  had  you  not 
arrived." 

"Well,  let  me  get  you  to  your  feet,"  Harry  said,  hold- 
ing out  his  hands,  but  with  a  feeling  of  some  disgust  at 
the  abject  fear  expressed  in  the  tones  of  the  man's  voice. 
He  was  indeed  trembling  so  that  even  when  Harry  hauled 
him  to  his  feet  he  could  scarcely  stand. 

"You  had  better  lean  against  the  wall  for  a  minute  or 
two  to  recover  yourself, "  Harry  said.  "I  see  you  have 
your  coat  cut  on  the  shoulder,  and  are  bleeding  pretty 
freely,  but  it  is  nothing  to  be  frightened  about.  If  you 
will  give  me  your  handkerchief  I  will  bind  it  up  for 
you." 

Harry  unbuttoned  the  man's  coat,  for  his  hands  shook 


164  -EST  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

so  much  that  be  was  unable  to  do  so,  pulled  the  arm  out 
of  tbe  sleeve,  and  tied  tbe  bandage  tightly  round  the 
shoulder.  The  man  seemed  to  belong  to  the  bourgeois 
class,  and  evidently  was  careful  as  to  his  attire,  which 
was  neat  and  precise.  His  linen  and  the  ruffles  of  his 
shirt  were  spotlessly  white  and  of  fine  material.  The 
short-waisted  coat  was  of  olive-green  cloth,  with  bright 
metal  buttons;  the  waistcoat,  extending  far  below  the 
coat,  was  a  light-buff  color,  brocaded  with  a  small  pat- 
tern of  flowers.  When  he  had  bound  the  wound  Harry 
belped  him  on  with  his  coat  again.  He  was  by  this  time 
recovering  himself. 

"Oh,  these  aristocrats,"  he  murmured,  "how  they 
bate  me!" 

The  words  startled  Harry-  What  was  this?  He  had 
not  interfered,  as  he  had  supposed,  to  prevent  the  rob- 
bery of  some  quiet  citizen  by  the  ruffians  of  the  streets. 
It  was  a  political  assassination  that  had  been  attempted 
— a  vengeance  by  Royalists  upon  one  of  the  men  of  the 
Revolution.  He  looked  more  closely  at  the  person  whose 
life  he  had  saved.  He  had  a  thin  and  insignificant  figure 
—his  face  was  pale  and  looked  like  that  of  a  student.  It 
seemed  to  Harry  that  he  had  seen  it  before,  but  where  he 
could  not  say.  His  first  thought  was  one  of  regret  that 
he  had  interfered  to  save  one  of  the  men  of  the  2d  of 
September;  then  the  thought  flashed  through  his  mind 
"that  there  might  be  some  benefit  to  be  derived  from  it. 

"Young  man,"  the  stranger  said,  "will  you  give  me 
your  arm  and  escort  me  home.  You  have  saved  my  life ; 
it  is  a  humble  one,  but  perhaps  it  is  of  some  value  to 
Trance.  •  I  live  but  two  streets  away.  It  is  not  often  I 
am  out  alone,  for  I  have  many  enemies,  but  I  was  called 
suddenly  out  on  business,  though  I  have  no  doubt  now 
the  message  was  a  fraudulent  one,  designed  simply  to 
put  me  into  the  hands  of  my  foes." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  165 

The  man  spoke  in  a  thin  bard  voice,  which  inspired 
Harry,  he  knew  not  why,  with  a  feeling  of  repulsion; 
he  had  certainly  heard  it  before.  He  offered  him  his  arm 
and  walked  with  him  to  his  door. 

"Come  up,  I  beg  you,"  the  stranger  said. 

He  ascended  to  the  second  floor  and  rang  at  the  bell. 
A  woman  with  a  light  opened  it. 

"Why,  my  brother,"  she  exclaimed  on  seeing  his  face, 
*'you  are  ill!     Has  anything  happened?" 

"I  have  been  attacked  in  the  street,"  he  said,  "but  am 
not  hurt,  though,  had  it  not  been  for  this  citizen,  it 
would  have  gone  hardily  with  me.  You  have  to  thank 
him  for  having  saved  your  brother  s  life." 

They  had  entered  a  sitting-room  now.  It  was  plainly 
but  very  neatly  furnished.  There  were  some  birds  in 
cages,  which,  late  though  the  hour  was,  liopped  on  their 
perches  and  twittered  when  they  heard  the  master's 
voice,  and  he  responded  with  two  or  three  words  of 
greeting  to  them. 

"Set  the  supper, "  he  said  to  his  sister;  "the  citizen 
will  take  a  meal  with  us.  You  know  who  I  am,  I  sup- 
pose?" he  said  to  Harry. 

"No, "  Harry  replied.  "I  have  a  recollection  of  your 
face  and  voice,  but  I  cannot  recall  where  I  have  met 
you." 

"I  am  Robespierre,"  he  said. 

Harry  gave  a  start  of  surprise. 

This  man  whom  he  had  saved  was  he  whom  he 
had  so  often  execrated — one  of  the  leaders  of  those  who 
had  deluged  France  with  blood — the  man  who,  next  only 
to  Marat,  was  hated  and  feared  by  the  Royalists  of  France. 
His  first  feeling  was  one  of  loathing  and  hatred,  but  at 
the  same  moment  there  flashed  through  his  mind  the 
thought  that  chance  had  favored  him  beyond  his  hopes, 
and  that  the  comedy  which  he  had  planned  with  Victor 


166  -EV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

to  carry  out  upon  the  person  of  Marat  had  come  to  pass 
without  premeditation,  but  with  Robespierre  as  the  chief 
actor. 

But  so  surprised  and  so  delighted  was  he  that  for  a 
minute  he  sat  unable  to  say  a  word.  Robespierre  was 
gratified  at  the  effect  which  his  name  had  produced.  His 
was  a  strangely  mixed  character — at  once  timid  and  bold, 
shrinking  from  personal  danger,  yet  ready  to  urge  the 
extremest  measures.  Simple  in  his  tastes,  and  yet  very 
vain  and  greedy  of  applause.  Domestic  and  affectionate 
in  his  private  character,  but  ready  to  shed  a  river  of 
blood  in  his  public  capacity.  Pure  in  morals;  passion- 
less in  his  resolves;  incorruptible  and  inflexible;  the 
more  dangerous  because  he  had  neither  passion  nor  hate ; 
because  he  had  not,  like  Danton  and  Marat,  a  lust  for 
blood,  but  because  human  life  to  him  was  as  nothing, 
because  had  he  considered  it  necessary  that  half  France 
should  die  for  the  benefit  of  the  other  half  he  would  have 
signed  their  death-warrant  without  emotion  or  hesitation. 

"You  are  surprised,  young  man,"  he  said,  "but  the 
ways  of  fate  are  inscrutable.  The  interposition  of  a 
youth  has  thwarted  the  schemes  of  the  enemies  of  France. 
Had  you  been  but  ten  seconds  later  I  should  have  ceased 
to  be,  and  one  of  the  humble  instruments  by  which  fate 
is  working  for  the  regeneration  of  the  people  would  have 
perished." 

While  Robespierre  was  speaking  Harry  had  rapidly 
thought  over  the  role  which  it  would  be  best  for  him  to 
adopt.  Should  he  avow  his  real  character  and  ask  for  an 
order  for  the  liberation  of  Marie  as  a  recompense  for  the 
service  he  had  rendered  Robespierre,  or  should  he  retain 
his  present  character  and  obtain  Robespierre's  con- 
fidence? There  was  danger  in  an  open  appeal,  for,  above 
all  things,  Robespierre  prided  himself  upon  his  incor- 


IE  TEE  BEIGE  OF  TERROR.  167 

ruptibility,  and  he  might  consider  that  to  free  a  prisoner 
for  service  rendered  to  himself  would  be  a  breach  of  his 
duty  to  France.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to  keep  silence 
at  present,  reserving  an  appeal  to  Kobespierre's  gratitude 
for  the  last  extremity. 

"Pardon  me,  monsieur,"  he  said,  after  he  had  rapidly 
arrived  at  this  conclusion;  "my  emotion  was  naturally 
great  at  finding  that  I  had  unwittingly  been  the  means  of 
saving  the  life  of  one  on  whom  the  eyes  of  France  are 
fixed.  I  rejoice  indeed  that  I  should  have  been  the 
means  of  preserving  such  a  L>*e." 

This  statement  was  strictly  true,  although  not  perhaps 
in  the  sense  in  which  Robespierre  regarded  it. 

"We  will  talk  more  after  supper,"   he  said.      "My 

sister  is,  I  see,  ready  with  it.     Indeed  it  is  lfcng  past  our 

usual  hour,  and  we  T?ere  just  sitting  down  when  I  was 

called  out  by  what  purported  to  be  an  important  message 

/    from  the  club. ' ' 


168  tSF  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTEE  X. 


Eobespieeee  chatted  continuously  as  the  meal  went  on, 
and  Harry  asked  himself  in  astonishment  whether  he  was 
in  a  dream,  and  if  this  man  before  him,  talking  about  his 
birds,  his  flowers,  and  his  life  before  he  came  to  Paris, 
could  really  be  the  dreaded  Eobespierre.  After  the  meal 
was  over  his  host  said  : 

"As  yet  I  am  ignorant  of  the  name  of  my  preserver." 

"My  name  is  Henry  Sandwith,"  Harry  replied. 

"It  is  not  a  French  name,"  Eobespierre  said  in  sur- 
prise. 

"lam  of  English  parentage,"  Harry  said  quietly,  "but 
have  been  resident  for  some  years  in  France.  I  was  for 
some  time  in  the  service  of  the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  St. 
Caux;  but  since  the  break-up  of  his  household  I  have 
been  shifting  for  myself  as  best  I  could,  living  chiefly  on 
the  moneys  I  had  earned  in  service,  and  on  the  lookout 
for  any  employment  that  may  offer." 

"England  is  our  enemy,"  Eobespierre  said,  raising  his 
voice  angrily;  "the  enemy  of  free  institutions  and 
liberty." 

"I  know  nothing  about  English  politics,"  Harry 
replied  with  a  smile;  "nor  indeed  about  any  politics.  I 
am  but  little  past  eighteen,  and  so  that  I  can  earn  my 
living  I  do  not  ask  whether  my  employer  is  a  patriot  or 
an  aristocrat.  It  is  quite  trouble  enough  to  earn  one's 
living  without  bothering  one's  head  about  politics.     If 


ffl  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  169 

you  can  put  me  in  the  way  of  doing  so  I  shall  consider 
that  I  am  well  repaid  for  the  little  service  I  rendered 
you." 

"Assuredly  I  will  do  so,"  Eobespierre  said.  "I  am  a 
poor  man,  you  know.  I  do  not  put  my  hand  into  the 
public  purse,  and  I  and  my  sister  live  as  frugally  as  we 
did  when  we  first  came  to  Paris  from  Arras.  M3r  only 
gains  have  been  the  hatred  of  the  aristocrats  and  the  love 
of  the  people.  But  though  I  have  not  money,  I  have 
influence,  and  I  promise  to  use  it  on  your  behalf.  Until 
I  hear  of  something  suitable  you  can,  if  you  will,  work 
here  with  me,  and  share  what  I  possess.  My  correspond- 
ence is  very  heavy.  I  am  overwhelmed  with  letters  from 
the  provinces  begging  me  to  inquire  into  grievances  and 
redress  wrongs.  Can  you  read  and  write  well?"  for  from 
Harry's  words  he  supposed  that  he  had  held  some  menial 
post  in  the  household  of  the  Marquis  de  St.  Caux. 

"Yes,  I  can  read  and  write  fairly,"  Harry  said. 

"And  are  you  acquainted  with  the  English  tongue?" 

"I  known  enough  of  it  to  read  it, "  Harry  said.  "I 
spoke  it  when  I  was  a  child." 

"If  you  can  read  it  that  will  do,"  Eobespierre  said. 
"There  are  English  papers  sent  over,  and  I  should  like  to 
hear  for  myself  what  this  perfidious  people  say  of  us,  and 
there  are  few  here  who  can  translate  the  language.  Do 
you  accept  my  proposal?" 

"Willingly,"  Harry  said. 

"Very  well,  then,  come  here  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  But  mind  you  are  only  filling  the  post  of  my 
secretary  until  I  can  find  something  better  for  you  to 
do." 

"The  post  will  be  a  better  one  some  day,  Monsieur 
Eobespierre.  Ere  long  you  will  be  the  greatest  man  in 
Prance,  and  the  post  of  secretary  will  be  one  which  may 
well  be  envied." 


170  IF  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Ah,  I  see  you  know  how  to  flatter,"  Eobespierre  said 
with  a  [smile,  much  gratified  nevertheless  with  Harry's 
words.  "You  must  remember  that  I  crave  no  dignities, 
that  I  care  only  for  the  welfare  of  France." 

"I  know,  monsieur,  that  you  are  called  'Eobespierre 
the  Incorruptible,'  "  Harry  said,  "but,  nevertheless,  you 
belong  to  France,  and  France  will  assuredly  see  that 
some  day  you  have  such  a  reward  as  you  richly  merit. " 

"There  was  no  untruth  in  that,"  Harry  said  to  himself 
as  he  made  his  way  downstairs.  "These  human  tigers 
will  meet  their  doom  when  France  comes  to  her  senses. 
He  is  a  strange  contrast,  this  man ;  but  I  suppose  that 
even  the  tiger  is  a  domestic  animal  in  his  own  family. 
His  food  almost  choked  me,  and  had  I  not  known  that 
Marie's  fate  depends  upon  my  calmness,  I  should  as- 
suredly have  broken  out  and  told  this  dapper  little 
demagogue  my  opinion  of  him.  But  this  is  glorious! 
What  news  I  shall  have  to  give  the  girls  in  the  morning! 
If  I  cannot  insure  Marie's  freedom  now  I  should  be  a 
bungler  indeed.  Had  I  had  the  planning  of  the  events 
of  this  evening  they  could  not  have  turned  out  better  for 
us." 

It  was  the  first  time  that  Harry  had  called  at  Louise 
Moulin's  as  early  as  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
Jeanne  leaped  up  as  he  entered. 

"What  is  it,  Harry?  You  bring  us  some  news,  don't 
you?" 

"I  do  indeed,  Jeanne;  capital  news.  Whom  do  you 
think  I  had  supper  with  last  night?" 

"Had  supper  with,  Harry !"  Jeanne  repeated.  "What 
do  you  mean  ?  How  can  I  guess  whom  you  had  supper 
with?" 

"I  am  sure  you  cannot  guess,  Jeanne,  so  I  will  not 
puzzle  your  brain.     I  had  supper  with  Eobespierre." 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  171 

"With  Robespierre!"  the  two  girls  repeated  in  aston- 
ishment. "You  are  not  joking,  Harry?"  Jeanne  went 
on;  "but  no,  you  cannot  be  doing  that;  tell  us  how  you 
came  to  have  supper  with  Eobespierre. " 

"My  dear  Jeanne,  I  regard  it  as  a  special  providence, 
as  an  answer  from  God  to  your  prayers  for  Marie.  I  had 
the  good  fortune  to  save  his  life." 

"Oh,  Harry,"  Jeanne  exclaimed,  "what  happiness! 
Then  Marie's  life  will  be  saved." 

"I  think  I  can  almost  promise  you  that,  Jeanne,  though 
I  do  not  know  yet  exactly  how  it's  to  be  done.  But  such 
a  piece  of  good  fortune  would  never  have  been  sent  to  me 
had  it  not  been  intended  that  we  should  save  Marie.  Now 
sit  down  quietly,  both  of  you,  and  you  too,  Louise,  and 
let  me  tell  you  all  about  it,  for  I  have  to  be  with  Eobes- 
pierre again  at  nine  o'clock." 

"Oh,  that  is  fortunate  indeed!"  Jeanne  exclaimed 
when  he  had  finished.  "Surely  he  cannot  refuse  any 
request  you  may  make  now." 

"If  he  does,  I  must  get  it  out  of  him  somehow,"  Harry 
said  cheerfully.  "By  fair  means  or  foul  I  will  get  the 
order  for  her  release." 

"But  you  don't  think  he  can  refuse,  Harry?"  Jeanne 
asked  anxiously. 

"I  think  he  may  refuse,  Jeanne.  He  is  proud  of  his 
integrity  and  incorruptibility,  and  I  think  it  quite  possi- 
ble that  he  may  refuse  to  grant  Marie's  release  in  return 
for  a  benefit  done  him  personally.  However,  do  not  let 
that  discourage  you  in  the  least.  As  I  said,  I  will  have 
the  order  by  fair  means  or  foul."  At  nine  o'clock  Harry 
presented  himself  in  readiness  for  work,  and  found  that 
his  post  would  be  no  sinecure.  The  correspondence 
which  he  had  to  go  through  was  enormous.  Bequests  for 
favors,  letters  of  congratulation  on  Robespierre's  speeches 


172  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

and  motions  in  the  Assembly,  reports  of  scores  of  pro- 
vincial committees,  denunciations  of  aristocrats,  letters 
of  blame  because  the  work  of  rooting  out  the  suspects  did 
not  proceed  faster,  entreaties  from  friends  of  prisoners. 
All  these  had  to  be  sorted,  read,  and  answered. 

Kobespierre  was,  Harry  soon  found,  methodical  in  the 
extreme.  He  read  every  letter  himself,  and  not  only 
gave  directions  how  they  were  to  be  answered,  but  read 
through  the  answers  when  written,  and  was  most  careful 
before  he  affixed  his  signature  to  any  paper  whatever. 
When  it  was  time  for  him  to  leave  for  the  Assembly  he 
made  a  note  in  pencil  on  each  letter  how  it  should  be 
answered,  and  directed  Harry  when  he  had  finished  them 
to  leave  them  on  the  table  for  him  on  his  return. 

"I  foresee  that  you  will  be  of  great  value  to  me,  Mon- 
sieur Sandwith, "  he  said,  "and  I  shall  be  able  to  recom- 
mend you  for  any  office  that  may  be  vacant  with  a  feeling 
of  confidence  that  you  will  do  justice  to  my  recommenda- 
tion ;  or  if  you  would  rather,  as  time  goes  on,  attach  your 
fortunes  to  mine,  be  assured  that  if  I  should  rise  to  power 
your  fortune  will  be  made.  When  you  have  done  these 
letters  your  time  will  be  your  own  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 
You  know  our  meal  hours,  and  I  can  only  say  that  we 
are  punctual  to  a  second." 

When  Harry  had  finished  he  strolled  out.  He  saw 
that  the  task  of  getting  an  order  for  Marie's  release  would 
be  more  difficult  than  he  had  anticipated.  He  had  hoped 
that  by  placing  it  with  a  batch  of  papers  before  Kobes- 
pierre he  would  get  him  to  sign  it  among  others  without 
reading  it,  but  he  now  saw  that  this  would  be  next  to 
impossible.  One  thing  afforded  him  grounds  for  satis- 
faction. Among  the  papers  was  a  list  of  the  prisoners  to 
be  brought  up  on  the  following  day  for  trial.  To  this 
Bobespierre  added  two  names,  and  then  signed  it  and 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  173 

sent  it  back  to  the  prison.  There  was  another  list  with 
the  names  of  the  prisoners  to  be  executed  on  the  follow- 
ing day,  and  this,  Harry  learned,  was  not  sent  in  to  the 
prison  authorities  until  late  in  the  evening,  so  that  even 
they  were  ignorant  until  the  last  moment  which  of  the 
prisoners  were  to  be  called  for  by  the  tumbrils  the  next 
morning.  Thus  he  would  know  when  Marie  was  to  go 
through  the  mockery  of  a  trial,  and  would  also  know 
when  her  name  was  put  on  the  fatal  list  for  the  [guillo- 
tine. The  first  fact  he  might  have  been  able  to  learn 
from  his  ally  in  the  prison,  but  the  second  and  most  im- 
portant he  could  not  have  obtained  in  any  other  way. 

The  work  had  been  frequently  interrupted  by  callers. 
Members  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  leaders  of 
the  Jacobin  and  Cordeliers  Clubs,  and  others,  dropped  in 
and  asked  Robespierre's  advice,  or  discussed  measures  to 
be  taken ;  and  after  a  day  or  two  Harry  found  that  it 
was  very  seldom,  except  when  taking  his  meals,  that 
Eobespierre  was  alone  while  in  the  house ;  and  as  his 
sister  was  in  and  out  of  the  room  all  day,  the  idea  of 
compelling  him  by  force  to  sign  the  order,  as  they  had 
originally  intended  to  do  with  Marat,  was  clearly  im- 
practicable. 

Each  day  after  his  work  was  over,  and  this  was  gen- 
erally completed  by  about  one  o'clock,  Harry  called  to 
see  how  Victor  was  getting  on.  He  was  gaining 
strength,  but  his  brain  appeared  to  make  far  less  prog- 
ress than  his  bodily  health.  He  did  not  recognize 
Harry  in  the  least,  and  although  he  would  answer  ques- 
tions that  were  asked  him,  his  mind  appeared  a  blank  as 
to  the  past,  and  he  often  lay  for  hours  without  speaking 
a  word.  After  leaving  him  Harry  met  Louise  and  the 
two  girls  at  a  spot  agreed  upon  the  day  before,  a  fresh 
: ..( cting-place  being  arranged  each   day.     He  found  it 


174  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

difficult  to  satisfy  them,  for  indeed  each  day  he  became 
more  and  more  doubtful  as  to  his  ability  to  get  the  order 
of  release  from  Eobespierre.  Toward  the  man  himself 
his  feelings  were  of  a  mixed  kind.  He  shuddered  at  the 
calmness  with  which,  in  his  letters  to  the  provincial  com- 
mittees, he  advocated  wholesale  executions  of  prisoners. 
He  wondered  at  the  violence  with  which,  in  his  shrill, 
high-pitched  voice,  he  declaimed  in  favor  of  the  most 
revolutionary  measures.  He  admired  the  simiDlicity  of 
his  life,  his  affection  for  his  sister  and  his  birds,  his 
kindness  of  heart  in  all  matters  in  which  politics  were 
not  concerned. 

Among  Kobespierre's  visitors  during  the  next  three 
weeks  was  Lebat,  who  was,  Harry  found,  an  important 
personage,  being  the  representative  on  the  Committee  of 
Public  Safety  of  the  province  of  Burgundy,  and  one  of 
the  most  extreme  of  the  frequenters  of  the  Jacobin  Club. 
He  did  not  recognize  Harry,  whom  he  had  never  noticed 
particularly  on  the  occasion  of  his  visits  to  the  chateau, 
and  who,  in  the  somewhat  threadbare  black  suit  which 
he  had  assumed  instead  of  the  workman's  blouse,  wrote 
steadily  at  a  table  apart,  taking  apparently  no  notice  of 
what  was  going  on  in  the  apartment. 

But  Harry's  time  was  not  altogether  thrown  away. 
It  was  his  duty  the  first  thing  of  a  morning  to  open  and 
sort  the  letters  and  lay  them  in  piles  upon  the  table  used 
by  Eobespierre  himself,  and  he  managed  every  day  to 
slip  quietly  into  his  pocket  several  of  the  letters  of  de- 
nunciation against  persons  as  aristocrats  in  disguise  or  as 
being  suspected  of  hostility  to  the  Commune.  When 
Eobespierre  left  him  to  go  to  the  club  or  the  Assembly 
Harry  would  write  short  notes  of  warning  in  a  disguised 
hand  to  the  persons  named,  and  would,  when  he  went 
out,  leave  these  at  their  doors.     Thus  he  had  the  satis- 


IIT  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  175 

faction  of  saving  a  considerable  number  of  persons  from 
the  clutches  of  the  revolutionists.  He  would  then,  two 
or  three  days  later,  slip  the  letters  of  denunciation,  very 
few  of  which  were  dated,  among  the  rest  of  the  corre- 
spondence, satisfied  that  when  search  was  made  the  per- 
sons named  would  already  have  shifted  their  quarters  and 
assumed  some  other  disguise. 

February  had  come  and  Harry  was  still  working  and 
waiting,  busy  for  several  hours  each  day  writing  and 
examining  reports  with  Kobespierre,  striving  of  an  even- 
ing to  keep  up  the  courage  and  spirits  of  the  girls,  calling 
in  for  a  few  minutes  each  day  to  see  Victor,  who,  after 
passing  through  a  long  and  terrible  fever,  now  lay  weak 
and  apparently  unconscious  alike  of  the  past  and  present, 
his  mind  completely  gone;  but  the  doctor  told  Harry 
that  in  this  respect  he  did  not  think  the  case  was  hope- 
less. 

"His  strength  seems  to  have  absolutely  deserted  him," 
he  said,  "and  his  mind  is  a  blank  like  that  of  a  little 
child,  but  I  by  no  means  despair  of  his  gradually  recover- 
ing; and  if  he  could  hear  the  voice  of  the  lady  you  tell 
me  he  is  engaged  to,  it  might  strike  a  chord  now  lying 
dormant  and  set  the  brain  at  work  again.'1 

But  as  to  Marie  Harry  could  do  nothing.  Do  what  he 
would,  he  could  hit  upon  no  plan  whatever  for  getting 
her  out  of  prison;  and  he  could  only  wait  until  some 
change  in  the  situation  or  the  appearance  of  her  name  in 
the  fatal  list  might  afford  some  opportunity  for  action. 
It  was  evident  to  him  that  Lebat  was  not  pushing  mat- 
ters forward,  but  that  he  preferred  to  wait  and  leave  the 
horror  of  months  in  prison  to  work  upon  Marie's  mind, 
and  so  break  her  down  that  she  would  be  willing  enough 
to  purchase  her  life  by  a  marriage  with  him. 

There  had  been  some  little  lull  in  the  work  of  blood, 


176  23T  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

for  in  December  all  eyes  Lad  been  turned  to  the  spectacle 
of  the  trial  of  the  king. 

From  the  10th  of  August  he  had  remained  a  close  pris- 
oner in  the  Temple,  watched  and  insulted  by  his  ruffian 
guards,  and  passing  the  time  in  the  midst  of  his  family 
with  a  serenity  of  mind,  a  calmness  and  tranrjuillity  which 
went  far  to  redeem  the  blunders  he  had  made  during  the 
preceding  three  years.  The  following  is  the  account 
written  by  the  princess  royal  in  her  journal  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  family  passed  their  days : 

"My  father  rose  at  seven  and  said  prayers  till  eight; 
then  dressing  himself  he  was  with  my  brother  till  nine, 
when  he  came  to  breakfast  with  my  mother.  After 
breakfast  my  father  gave  us  lessons  till  eleven  o'clock; 
and  then  my  brother  played  till  midday,  when  we  went 
to  walk  together,  whatever  the  weather  was,  because  at 
that  hour  they  relieved  guard  and  wished  to  see  us  to  be 
sure  of  our  presence.  Our  walk  was  continued  till  two 
o'clock,  when  we  dined.  After  dinner  my  father  and 
mother  played  at  backgammon,  or  rather  pretended  to 
play,  in  order  to  have  an  opportunity  of  talking  together 
for  a  short  time. 

"At  four  o'clock  my  mother  went  upstairs  with  us, 
because  the  king  then  usually  took  a  nap.  At  six  o'clock 
my  brother  went  down,  and  my  father  gave  us  lessons  till 
supper  at  nine.  After  supper  my  mother  soon  went  to 
bed.  We  then  went  upstairs,  and  the  king  went  to  bed 
at  eleven.  My  mother  worked  much  at  tapestry  and 
made  me  study,  and  frequently  read  alone.  My  aunt 
said  prayers  and  read  the  service;  she  also  read  many 
religious  books,  usually  aloud." 

But  harmless  as  was  the  life  of  the  royal  family,  Danton 
and  the  Jacobins  were  determined  upon  having  their 
lives.     The  mockery  of  the  trial  commenced  on  the  10th 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  177 

of  December.  Malesherbes,  Troncliet,  and  Deseze  de- 
fended hiin  fearlessly  and  eloquently,  but  it  was  useless 
— the  king  was  condemned  beforehand.  Kobespierre^ind 
Marat  led  the  assault.  The  Girondists,  themselves  men- 
aced and  alarmed,  stood  neutral;  but  on  the  15th  of 
January  the  question  was  put  to  the  Assembly,  "Is  Louis 
Capet,  formerly  king  of  the  French,  guilty  of  conspiracy 
and  attempt  against  the  general  safety  of  the  state?" 

With  scarcely  a  single  exception  the  Assembly  returned 
an  affirmative  answer,  and  on  the  17th  the  final  vote  was 
taken.  Three  hundred  and  sixty-one  voted  for  death,  two 
for  imprisonment,  two  hundred  and  eighty-six  for  deten- 
tion, banishment,  or  conditional  death,  forty-six  for  death 
but  after  a  delay,  twenty-six  for  death  but  with  a  wish- 
that  the  Assembly  should  revise  the  sentence. 

Sentence  of  death  was  pronounced.  After  a  sitting 
which  lasted  for  thirty-seven  hours  there  was  another 
struggle  between  the  advocates  of  delay  and  those  of 
instant  execution,  but  the  latter  won;  and  after  parting 
with  noble  resignation  from  his  wife  and  family,  the- 
king,  on  the  21st,  was  executed.  His  bearing  excited  the 
admiration  even  of  his  bitterest  foes. 

France  looked  on  amazed  and  appalled  at  the  act,  for 
Louis  had  undoubtedly  striven  his  best  to  lessen  abuses 
and  to  go  with  the  people  in  the  path  of  reform.  It  was 
his  objection  to  shed  blood,  his  readiness  to  give  way, 
his  affection  for  the  people,  which  had  allowed  the  Invo- 
lution to  march  on  its  bloody  way  without  a  check.  It 
was  the  victims — the  nobles,  the  priests,  the  delicate 
women  and  cultured  men — who  had  reason  to  complain; 
for  it  was  the  king's  hatred  to  resistance  which  left  them 
at  the  mercy  of  their  foes.  Louis  had  been  the  best 
friend  of  the  Revolution  that  slew  him. 

The  trial   and  execution  of  the  king  had  at  least  the 


178  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROB. 

good  effect  of  diverting  the  minds  of  Jeanne  and  Vir- 
ginie  from  their  own  anxieties.  Jeanne  was  passionate 
and  Virginie  tearful  in  their  sorrow  and  indignation. 
Over  and  over  again  Jeanne  implored  Harry  to  try  to 
save  the  king.  There  were  still  many  Eoyalists,  and 
indeed  the  bulk  of  the  people  were  shocked  and  alienated 
by  the  violence  of  the  Convention;  and  Jeanne  urged 
that  Harry  might,  from  his  connection  with  Eobespiejrre, 
obtain  some  pass  or  document  which  would  enable  the 
king  to  escape.  But  Harry  refused  to  make  any  attempt 
whatever  on  his  behalf. 

"In  the  first  place,  Jeanne,  it  would  be  absolutely  im- 
possible for  the  king,  watched  as  he  is,  to  escape;  and  no 
pass  or  permit  that  Eobespierre  could  give  would  be  of 
the  smallest  utility.  You  must  remember,  that  although 
all  apparently  unite  against  the  king,  there  is  a  never- 
ending  struggle  going  on  in  the  Convention  between  the 
various  parties  and  the  various  leaders.  Eobespierre  is 
but  one  of  them,  although,  perhaps,  the  most  prominent ; 
but  could  I  wring  a  pass  from  him  even  if  only  to  see  the 
king,  that  pass  would  not  be  respected. 

"In  the  next  place,  Jeanne,  I  have  nothing  to  do  with 
these  struggles  in  France.  I  am  staying  here  to  do  what 
little  I  can  to  watch  over  you  and  Virginie,  for  the  sake 
oi  your  dear  parents  and  because  I  love  you  both ;  and  I 
have  also  if  possible  to  rescue  Marie  from  the  hands  of 
these  murderers.  The  responsibility  is  heavy  enough; 
and  could  I,  by  merely  using  Eobespierre 's  name,  rescue 
the  king  and  queen  and  their  children  and  pass  them 
across  the  frontier,  I  would  not  do  it  if  the  act  in  the 
slightest  degree  interfered  with  my  freedom  of  action 
toward  you  and  Marie." 

"Bu>t  Virginie  and  I  would  die  for  the  king!"  Jeanne 
said  passionately. 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.    \ 

"Happily,  Jeanne,"  Harry  replied  coolly,  "y6ur  dying- 
would  in  no  respect  benefit  him ;  and  as  your'  life  is  in 
liny  eyes  of  a  thousand  times  more  consequence  than  that 
of  the  king,  and  as  your  chances  of  safety  to  some  extent 
depend;Upon  mine,  I  do  not  mean  to  risk  one  of  those 
chance's  for  the  sake -of  his  majesty.  Beside,  to  tell 
you  the  truth,  I  have  a  good  deal  of  liking  for  my  own 
life,  and  have  a  marked  objection  to  losing  my  head. 
You  see  I  have  people  at  home  who  are  fond  of  me,  and 
who. want  to  see  me  back  again  with  that  head  on  my 
shoulders." 

"I  know,  Harry;  I  know,"  Jeanne  said  with  her  eyes 
full  of  tears.  "Do  not  think  that  I  am  ungrateful  be- 
cause I  talk  so.  I  am  always  thinking  how  wrong  it  is 
that  you  should  be  staying  here  risking  your  life  for  us 
instead  of  going  home  to  those  who  love  you.  I  think 
sometimes  Virginie  and  I  ought  to  give  ourselves  up,  and 
then  you  could  go  home."     And  Jeanne  burst  into  tears. 

"My  dear  Jeanne,"  Harry  said  soothingly,  "do  not 
worry  yourself  about  me.  It  would  have  been  just  as 
dangerous  at  the  time  your  father  was  taken  prisoner  for 
me  to  have  tried  to  escape  from  the  country  as  it  was  to 
stay  here — in  fact,  I  should  say  that  it  was  a  good  deal 
more  dangerous;  and  at  present,  as  Robespierre's  secre- 
tary, I  am  in  no  danger  at  all.  It  is  a  little  disagreeable 
certainly  serving  a  man  whom  one  regards  in  some  re- 
spects as  being  a  sort  of  wild  beast;  but  at  the  same  time, 
in  his  own  house,  I  am  bound  to  say,  he  is  a  very  decent 
kind  of  man  and  not  at  all  a  bad  fellow  to  get  on  with. 

"As  to  what  I  have  done  for  you,  so  far  as  I  see  I  have 
done  nothing  beyond  bringing  you  here  in  the  first  place, 
and  coming  to  have  a  pleasant  chat  with  you  every  even- 
ing. Nor,  with  the  best  will  in  the  world,  have  I"  been 
able  to  be  of  the  slightest  assistance  to  Marie.  "rAs  we 


180  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

say  at  home,  my  intentions  are  good ;  but  so  far  the  in- 
tentions have  borne  no  useful  fruit  whatever.  Come, 
Jeanne,  di\y  your  eyes,  for  it  is  not  often  that  I  have  seen 
you  cry.  We  have  thrown  in  our  lot  together,  and  we 
shall  swim  or  sink  in  company. 

"You  keep  up  my  spirits  and  I  keep  up  yours.  Don't 
let  there  be  any  talk  about  gratitude.  There  will  be 
time  enough  for  that  if  I  ever  get  you  safely  to  England. 
Then,  perhaps,  I  may  send  in  my  bill  and  ask  for 
payment. ' ' 

Harry  spoke  lightly,  and  Jeanne  with  a  great  effort 
recovered  her  composure;  and  after  that,  although  the 
trial  and  danger  of  the  king  were  nightly  discussed  and 
lamented,  she- never  said  a  word  as  to  any  possibility  of 
the  catastrophe  being  averted. 

One  day  toward  the  end  of  February,  Harry  felt  a  thrill 
run  through  him  as,  on  glancing  over  the  list  of  persons 
to  be  tried  on  the  following  day,  he  saw  the  name  of 
Marie,  daughter  of  the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  St.  Caux. 
Although  his  knowledge  of  Robespierre's  character  gave 
him  little  ground  for  hope,  he  determined  upon  making 
a  direct  appeal. 

"I  see,  citizen,"  he  said — for  such  was  the  mode  of 
address  universal  at  that  time — "that  among  the  list  of 
persons  to  be  tried  is  the  name  of  Marie  de  St.  Caux." 

"Say  Marie  Caux,"  Robespierre  said  reprovingly. 
"You  know  de  and  St.  are  both  forbidden  prefixes.  Yes; 
what  would  you  say  about  her?" 

"I  told  3rou,  citizen,  upon  the  first  night  when  I  came 
here,  that  I  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  father  of  this 
female  citizen.  Although  I  know  now  that  he  was  one 
of  those  who  lived  upon  the  blood  of  the  people,  I  am 
bound  to  say  that  he  always  treated  his  dependants 
kindly.     His  daughter  also  showed  me  many  marks  of 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  181 

kindness,  and  this  I  would  now  fain  return.  Citizen,  I 
did  you  some  service  on  the  night  when  we  first  met; 
and  I  ask  you  now,  as  a  full  quittance  for  that  aid,  that 
you  will  grant  me  the  freedom  of  this  young  woman. 
"Whatever  were  the  crimes  of  her  father,  she  cannot  have 
shared  in  them.  She  is  young,  and  cannot  do  harm  to 
any;  therefore  I  implore  you  to  give  me  her  life." 

"lam  surprised  at  your  request,"  Kobespierre  said 
calmly.  "This  woman  belongs  to  a  race  who  have  for 
centuries  oppressed  France,  and  it  is  better  that  they 
should  perish  altogether.  If  she  can  convince  the  tri- 
bunal that  she  is  innocent  of  all  crime,  undoubtedly  she 
will  be  spared ;  but  I  cannot,  only  on  account  of  the  ob- 
ligation I  am  under  to  you,  interfere  on  her  behalf ;  such 
an  act  would  be  treason  to  the  people,  and  I  hope  you 
know  me  well  enough  by  this  time  to  be  aware  that 
nothing  whatever  would  induce  me  to  allow  my  private 
inclinations  to  interfere  with  the  course  of  justice.  Ask 
of  me  all  I  have,  it  is  little  enough,  but  it  is  yours ;  but 
this  thing  I  cannot  grant  you." 

For  a  moment  Harry  was  on  the  point  of  bursting  out 
indignantly,  but  he  checked  himself  and  without  a  word 
went  on  with  his  writing,  although  tears  of  disappoint- 
ment for  a  time  almost  blinded  him ;  but  he  felt  it  would 
be  hopeless  to  urge  the  point  further,  and  that  did  he  do 
so  he  might  forfeit  the  opportunity  he  now  had  of  learn- 
ing what  was  going  on. 

Another  month  passed  before  the  name  appeared  on 
the  fatal  list.  In  the  meantime  Harry  had  corresponded 
regularly  with  Marie  by  means  of  the  warder,  and  had 
even  once  seen  her  and  exchanged  a  few  words  with  her, 
having  been  sent  by  Robespierre  with  a  letter  to  the 
governor  of  the  prison. 

Marie  was  greatly  changed :  her  color  had  faded  away, 


182  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

the  former  somewhat  haughty  air  and  carriage  had  dis- 
appeared, and  there  was  an  expression  of  patient  resigna- 
tion on  her  face.  Harry  had  only  the  opportunity  to 
whisper  to  her  "Hope  always,  all  is  not  lost  yet."  He 
had  spent  hours  each  day  in  his  lodging  imitating  the 
signature  of  Robespierre,  and  he  had  made  up  his  mind 
that,  should  all  other  efforts  fail,  he  would  boldly  present 
himself  at  the  prison  with  an  order  for  Marie's  release, 
with  Robespierre's  signature  forged  at  the  bottom. 

He  thought  he  could  write  it  now  plainly  enough  for 
it  to  pass;  his  fear  was  that  the  prison  authorities  would 
not  act  upon  it  unless  presented  by  a  well-known  official 
personage  without  first  sending  to  Robespierre  to  have  it 
verified. 

Still  but  little  change  had  taken  place  in  Victor  de 
Gisons'  condition.  He  remained  in  a  state  almost  of 
lethargy,  with  an  expression  of  dull  hopelessness  on  his 
face;  sometimes  he  passed  his  hand  wearily  across  his 
forehead  as  if  he  were  trying  to  recollect  something  he 
had  lost;  he  was  still  too  weak  to  stand,  but  Jacques  and 
his  wife  would  dress  him  and  place  him  on  a  couch  which 
Harry  purchased  for  his  use.  The  worthy  couple  ran  no 
risk  now,  for  the  sharpest  spy  would  fail  to  recognize  in 
the  bowed-down  invalid,  with  vacant  face,  the  once  bril- 
liant Victor  de  Gisons. 

Harry  had  many  talks  with  Jeanne  concerning  him. 
"What  should  we  do,  Harry,"  the  girl  said  over  and  over 
again,  "if  we  could  get  Marie  away  and  all  get  safe  to- 
gether to  England,  which  I  begin  to  despair  now  of  our 
ever  doing,  but  if  we  should  do  it  what  should  we  say  to 
Marie?  She  thinks  Victor  is  safe  there.  Only  the  other 
day,  as  you  know,  she  seut  us  out  a  letter  to  him.  "What 
would  she  say  when  she  learned  on  her  arrival  in  England 
that  Victor  has  all  this  time  been  lying  broken  down  and 
in  suffering  in  Paris?" 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  183 

To  this  question  Harry,  for  a  long  time,  could  give  no 
answer.  At  last  he  said,  "I  have  been  thinking  it  over? 
Jeanne,  and  I  feel  that  we  have  no  right  to  take  Marie 
away  without  her  knowing  the  truth  about  Victor.  His 
misfortunes  have  come  upon  him  because  he  would  stop 
in  Paris  to  watch  over  her.  I  feel  now  that  she  has  the 
right,  if  she  chooses,  of  stopping  in  Paris  to  look  after 
him." 

"Oh,  Harry,  you  would  never  think  of  our  going  away 
and  leaving  her!" 

"I  don't  know,  Jeanne,  if  it  would  not  be  best.  She 
could  stay  in  the  disguise  of  a  peasant  girl  with  Jacques 
and  his  wife;  they  would  give  out  that  she  was  Victor's 
sister  who  had  come  to  nurse  him.  I  have  great  hopes 
that  her  voice  and  presence  would  do  what  we  have  failed 
to  do,  namely,  awaken  him  from  this  sad  state  of  leth- 
argy. They  could  stay  there  for  months  until  these  evil 
days  are  over.  Jacques'  workmen  friends  are  accus- 
tomed now  to  Victor  being  with  him,  and  there  is  no 
chance  of  any  suspicion  arising  that  he  is  not  what  he 
seems  to  be,  a  workman  whom  Jacques  picked  up  injured 
and  insensible  on  that  terrible  night.  It  would  seem 
natural  that  his  sister  or  his  fiancee — Marie  could  pass 
for  whichever  she  chose — should  come  and  help  take  care 
of  him." 

"Then  if  she  can  stop  in  Paris  with  Victor,  of  course 
we  can  stop  with  Louise?" 

"I  am  afraid  not, "  Harry  said.  "Every  day  the  search 
for  suspects  becomes  stricter;  every  day  people  are  being 
seized  and  called  upon  to  produce  the  papers  proving 
their  identity;  and  I  fear,  Jeanne,  there  is  no  hope  of 
permanent  safety  for  you  save  in  flight." 

It  was  just  a  month  from  the  mock  trial,  at  which 
Marie  had  been  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  death  that 


184  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Harry  received  a  double  shook.  Among  the  letters  of  de- 
nunciation was  the  following:  "Citizen,  I  know  that  you 
watch  over  the  state.  I  would  have  you  know  that  for 
more  than  seven  months  two  girls  have  been  dwelling 
with  one  Louise  Moulin  of  15  Eue  Michel ;  there  were 
three  of  them,  but  the  eldest  has  disappeared.  This,  in 
itself,  is  mysterious ;  the  old  woman  herself  was  a  servant 
in  the  family  of  the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  St.  Caux.  She 
gives  out  that  the  girls  are  relatives  of  hers,  but  it  is 
believed  in  the  neighborhood  that  they  are  aristocrats  in 
disguise.  They  receive  many  visits  from  a  young  man  of 
whom  no  one  knows  anything." 

Harry  felt  the  color  leave  his  cheeks,  and  his  hand 
shook  as  he  hastily  abstracted  the  note,  and  he  could 
scarcely  master  the  meaning  of  the  next  few  letters  he 
opened. 

This  was  a  sudden  blow  for  which  he  was  unprepared. 
He  could  not  even  think  what  was  best  to  be  done. 
However,  saying  to  himself  that  he  had  at  any  rate  a  few 
days  before  hjm,  he  resolutely  put  the  matter  aside  to  be 
thought  over  when  he  was  alone,  and  proceeded  with  his 
work.  After  a  time  he  came  to  the  list  of  those  marked 
out  for  execution  on  the  following  day,  and  saw  with  a 
fresh  pang  the  name  of  Marie  de  St.  Caux. 

So  the  crisis  had  arrived.  That  night  or  never  Marie 
must  be  rescued,  and  his  plan  of  forging  Robespierre's 
signature  must  be  put  into  effect  that  day.  He  opened 
the  next  few  papers  mechanically,  but  steadied  himself 
upon  Robespierre  asking  him  a  question.  For  a  time  he 
worked  on;  but  his  brain  was  swimming,  and  he  was  on 
the  point  of  saying  that  he  felt  strangely  unwell,  and 
must  ask  to  be  excused  for  that  day,  when  he  heard  a 
ring  at  the  bell,  and  a  moment  later  Lebat  entered  the 
room. 


IZV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  185 

"I  have  just  come  from  the  tribunal,  citizen,"  he  said, 
"and  have  seen  the  list  for  to-morrow.  I  have  come  to 
you,  as  I  know  you  are  just,  and  abhor  the  shedding  of 
innocent  blood.  There  is  among  the  number  a  young 
girl  who  is  wholly  innocent.  I  know  her  well,  for  she 
comes  from  my  province,  and  her  father's  chateau  was 
within  a  few  miles  of  Dijon.  Although  her  father  was  a 
furious  aristocrat,  her  heart  was  always  with  the  people. 
She  was  good  to  the  poor,  and  was  beloved  by  all  the 
tenants  on  the  estate.  It  is  not  just  that  she  should  die 
for  the  sins  of  her  parents.  Moreover,  henceforth,  if 
pardoned,  she  will  be  no  longer  an  aristocrat.  I  respond 
for  her;  for  she  has  promised  to  marry  me,  the  delegate 
of  Burgundy  to  the  Commune.  The  young  woman  is  the 
daughter  of  the  man  called  the  Marquis  de  St.  Caux,  who 
met  his  deserved  fate  on  the  2d  of  September." 

"You  are  willing  to  respond  for  her,  citizen?"  Robes- 
pierre  said. 

"I  am.  The  fact  that  she  will  be  my  wife  is  surely  a 
guarantee?" 

"It  is,"  Robespierre  said.  "What  you  tell  me  con- 
vinces me  that  I  can  -without  damage  to  the  cause  of  the 
people  grant  your  request.  I  am  the  more  glad  to  do  so 
since  my  secretary  has  also  prayed  for  her  life.  But 
though  he  rendered  me  the  greatest  service,  and  I  owe  to 
him  a  debt  of  gratitude,  I  was  obliged  to  refuse ;  for  to 
grant  his  request  would  have  been  to  allow  private  feel- 
ing to  interfere  with  the  justice  of  the  people;  but  now 
it  is  different.  You  tell  me  that,  except  by  birth,  she  is 
no  aristocrat;  that  she  has  long  been  a  friend  of  the 
people,  and  that  she  is  going  to  be  your  wife ;  on  these 
grounds  I  can  with  a  good  conscience  grant  her  release. 

Lebat  had  looked  with  astonishment  at  Harry  as 
Robespierre  spoke. 


186  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Thank  you,  citizen,"  he  said  to  Kobespierre.  "It  is 
an  act  of  justice  which  I  relied  upon  from  your  well- 
known  character.  I  promise  you  that  your  clemency 
will  not  be  .misplaced,  and  that  she  will  become  a  worthy 
citizen.  May  I  ask,"  he  said,  "how  it  is  that  your 
secretary,  whose  face  seems  familiar  to  me,  is  interested 
in  this  young  woman  also?" 

"It  is  simple  enough," Kobespierre  replied.  "He  was 
in  the  service  of  her  father." 

"Oh,  I  remember  now,"  Lebat  said.  "He  is  English. 
I  wonder,  citizen,  that  you  should  give  your  confidence 
to  one  of  that  treacherous  nation." 

"He  saved  my  life,"  Robespierre  replied  coldly;  "a 
somewhat  good  ground,  you  will  admit,  for  placing  con- 
fidence in  him." 

"Assuredly,"  Lebat  said  hastily,  seeing  that  Robes- 
pierre was  offended.  "And  now,  citizen,  there  is 
another  matter  of  importance  on  which  I  wish  to  confer 
with  you." 

Harry  rose. 

"Citizen,  I  will  ask  you  to  excuse  me  from  further 
work  to-day.  My  head  aches  badly,  and  I  can  scarce  see 
what  I  am  writing." 

"I  thought  you  were  making  some  confusion  of  my 
papers,"  Robespierre  said  kindly.  "By  all  means  put 
aside  your  work." 

On  leaving  the  room  Harry  ran  up  to  the  attic  above, 
which  he  had  occupied  since  he  had  entered  Robes- 
pierre's service,  rapidly  put  on  the  blue  blouse  and  pan- 
taloons which  he  had  formerly  worn,  pulled  his  cap  well 
down  over  his  eyes,  and  hurried  downstairs.  He  sta- 
tioned himself  some  distance  along  the  street  and  waited 
for  Lebat  to  come  out.  Rapidly  thinking  the  matter 
over,  he  concluded  that  the  man  would  not  present  him- 


m  TEE  REIGF  OF  TERROR.  187 

self  with  the  order  of  release  until  after  dark,  in  order 
that  if  Marie  struggled  or  tried  to  make  her  escape  it 
would  be  unnoticed  in  the  street.  Lebat  had  calculated, 
of  course,  that  on  the  presentation  of  the  order  the  prison 
officials  would  at  once  lead  Marie  to  the  gates,  whether 
she  wished  it  or  not,  and  would,  at  his  order,  force  her 
into  a  vehicle,  when  she  would  be  completely  in  his 
power,  and  he  could  confine  her  in  his  own  house  or  else- 
where until  she  consented  to  be  his  wife. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Lebat  came  out  of  the  house 
and  walked  down  the  street.  Harry  followed  him. 
After  walking  for  some  distance  Lebat  came  to  a  stand  of 
hackney-coaches  and  spoke  to  one  of  the  drivers.  When 
he  had  gone  on  again  Harry  went  up  to  the  man. 

"Comrade,"  he  said,  "do  you  wish  to  do  a  good  action 
and  to  earn  a  couple  of  gold  pieces  at  the  same  time?" 

"That  will  suit  me  admirably,"  the  coachman  replied. 

"Let  one  of  your  comrades  look  after  your  horse,  then, 
and  let  us  have  a  glass  of  wine  together  in  that  cabaret." 

As  soon  as  they  were  seated  at  a  small  table  with  a 
measure  of  wine  before  them  Harry  said  : 

"That  deputy  with  the  red  sash  who  spoke  to  you  just 
now  has  engaged  you  for  a  job  this  evening?" 

"He  has,"  the  coachman  said.  "I  am  to  be  at  the  left 
corner  of  the  Place  de  Carrousel  at  eight  this  evening." 

"He  is  a  bad  lot,"  Harry  said;  "he  is  going  to  carry 
off  a  girl  to  whom  he  has  been  promising  marriage;  but 
of  course  we  know  better  than  that.  She  is  a  friend  of 
mine  and  so  were  her  parents,  and  I  want  to  save  her. 
Now,  what  I  want  to  do  is  to  take  your  place  on  the  box 
this  evening.  I  will  drive  him  to  the  place  where  he  is 
to  meet  her,  and  when  he  gets  her  to  the  door  of  his 
lodging  I  small  jump  off  and  give  my  citizen  such  a 
thrashing  as  will  put  a  stop  to  his  gallivanting  for  some 


188  TN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

time.  I  will  give  you  ten  crowns  for  the  use  of  your 
coach  for  an  hour." 

' 'Agreed!"  the  coachman  said.  "Between  ourselves, 
some  of  these  fellows  who  pretend  to  be  frienda  of  the 
people  are  just  as  great  scoundrels,  ay,  and  worse,  than 
the  aristocrats  were.  We  drivers  know  a  good  many 
things  that  people  in  general  don't;  but  you  must  mind, 
citizen,  he  carried  a  sword,  you  know,  and  the  beating 
may  turn  out  the  other  way. ' ' 

"Oh,  I  can  get  a  comrade  or  two  to  help,"  Harry  said, 
laughing.  "There  are  others  beside  myself  who  will 
not  see  our  pretty  Isabel  wronged." 

"And  where  shall  I  get  my  coach  again?" 

"At  the  end  of  the  Rue  St.  Augustin.  I  expect  I  shall 
be  there  by  nine  o'clock  with  it;  but  I  am  sure  not  to  be 
many  minutes  later.  Here  is  a  louis  now.  I  will  give 
you  the  other  when  I  change  places  with  you.  Be  at  the 
Place  de  Carrousel  at  half-past  seven.  I  shall  be  on  the 
lookout  for  you." 

"I  won't  fail,"  the  coachman  said;  "you  may  rely 
upon  that." 

Harry  now  hurried  away  to  his  friend  Jacques,  and 
rapidly  gave  an  account  of  what  had  taken  place. 

"In  the  first  place,  Jacques,  I  want  your  wife  to  see 
her  friend  and  to  get  her  to  take  a  note  instantly  to  the 
warder,  for  him  to  give  to  Mademoiselle  de  St.  Caux.  It 
is  to  tell  her  to  make  no  resistance  when  Lebat  presents 
the  order  for  her  release,  but  to  go  with  him  quietly; 
because  if  she  appeals  to  the  warders  and  declares  that 
she  would  rather  die  than  go  with  him,  it  is  just  possible 
that  they  might  refuse  to  let  him  take  her  away,  saying 
that  the  order  was  for  her  release,  but  not  for  her  delivery 
to  him.  I  don't  suppose  they  would  do  so,  because  as  one 
of  the  members  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  he  is 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  189 

* 
all-powerful ;  still  it  would  be  as  well  to  avoid  any  risk 
whatever  of  our  scheme  failing.  I  will  drive  to  the  Rue 
Montagnard,  which,  as  you  know,  is  close  to  La  Force. 
It  is  a  quiet  street,  and  it  is  not  likely  there  will  be  any 
body  about  at  half-past  eight.  "Will  you  be  there  and 
give  me  a  hand  to  secure  the  fellow?" 

"Certainly  I  will,"  Jacques  said  heartily.  "What  do 
you  propose  to  do  with  him?" 

"I  propose  to  tie  his  hands  and  feet  and  gag  him,  and 
then  drive  to  the  Eue  Bluett,  which  is  close  by,  and 
where  there  are  some  unfinished  houses.  We  can  toss 
him  in  there,  and  he  will  be  safe  till  morning." 

"It  will  be  the  safest  plan  to  run  him  through  at  once 
and  have  done  with  him,"  Jacques  said.  "He  will  be  a 
dangerous  enemy  if  he  is  left  alive ;  and  as  he  would  kill 
you  without  mercy  if  he  had  a  chance,  I  don't  see  why 
you  need  be  overnice  with  him." 

"The  man  is  a  scoundrel,  and  one  of  a  band  of  men 
whom  I  regard  as  murderers,"  Harry  said;  "but  I  could 
not  kill  him  in  cold  blood." 

"You  are  wrong,"  Jacques  said  earnestly,  "and  you 
are  risking  everything  by  letting  him  live.  Such  a  fel- 
low should  be  killed  like  a  rat  when  you  get  him  in  a 
trap." 

"It  may  be  so,"  Harry  agreed;  "but  I  could  not  bring 
myself  to  do  it." 

Jacques  was  silent,  but  not  convinced.  It  seemed  to 
him  an  act  of  the  extremest  folly  to  leave  so  dangerous 
an  enemy  alive. 

"He  would  hunt  us  all  down,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"Elise  and  I,  this  poor  lad  and  the  girl,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  Englishman  and  the  girl's  sisters.  Well,  we  shall 
Bee.  I  am  risking  my  head  in  this  business,  and  I  mean 
to  have  my  say." 


190  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Having  made  all  his  arrangements,  Harry  returned  to 
his  attic  and  lay  down  there  until  evening,  having  before 
he  went  in  purchased  a  sword.  At  seven  o'clock  he 
placed  his  pistols  in  his  bosom,  girded  on  his  sword, 
which  would  attract  no  attention,  for  half  the  rabble  of 
Paris  carried  weapons,  and  then  set  out  for  the  Place  de 
Carrousel.  At  half-past  seven  his  friend  the  coachman 
drew  up. 

"Ah,  here  you  are!"  he  said.  "You  had  better  take 
this  big  cape  of  mine;  you  will  find  it  precious  cold  on 
the  box;  beside  he  would  notice  at  once  that  you  are  not 
the  coachman  he  hired  if  you  are  dressed  in  that  blouse." 

Harry  took  off  his  sword  and  placed  it  on  the  seat, 
wrapped  himself  in  the  great  cape,  wound  a  muffler  round 
the  lower  part  of  his  face,  and  waited.  A  few  minutes 
after  the  clock  had  struck  eight  Lebat  came  along. 

"Here  we  are,  citizen,"  Harry  said  in  a  rough  voice. 
"I  am  glad  you  have  come,  for  it's  no  joke  waiting  about 
on  such  nights  as  this.     Where  am  I  to  drive  you  to?" 

"The  prison  of  La  Force,"  Lebat  said,  taking  his  seat 
in  the  coach. 

Harry's  heart  beat  fast  as  he  drove  toward  the  prison. 
He  felt  sure  that  success  would  attend  his  plans ;  but  the 
moment  was  an  exciting  one.  It  did  not  seem  that  any- 
thing could  interpose  to  prevent  success,  and  yet  some- 
thing might  happen  which  he  had  not  foreseen  or  guarded 
against.  He  drove  at  little  more  than  a  footpace,  for  the 
streets  a  short  distance  from  the  center  of  the  town  were 
only  lighted  here  and  there  by  a  dim  oil  lamp,  and  fur- 
ther away  they  were  in  absolute  darkness,  save  for  the 
lights  which  gleamed  through  the  casements.  At  last  he 
reached  the  entrance  to  the  prison.  Lebat  jumped  out 
and  rang  at  the  bell. 

"What  is  it,  citizen?"  the  guard  said,  looking 
through  a  grille  in  the  gate. 


Citizen  Lebat  takes  Marie  out  of  Prison.— Page  igi. 
Reign  of  T.] 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  191 

"I  am  Citizen  Lebat  of  the  Committee  of  Public 
Safety,  and  I  have  an  order  here,  signed  by  Citizen 
Eobespierre,  for  the  release  of  the  female  piisoner  known 
as  Marie  Caux." 

"All  right,  citizen!"  the  man  said,  opening  the  gate. 
"It  is  late  for  a  discharge;  but  I  don't  suppose  the  pris- 
oner will  grumble  at  that." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  gate  opened  again  and  Lebat 
came  out  with  a  cloaked  female  figure.  She  hesitated  on 
the  top  step,  and  then,  refusing  to  touch  the  hand  Lebat 
held  out  to  assist  her,  stepped  down  and  entered  the 
coach. 

"Rue  Fosseuse  No.  18,"  Lebat  said  as  he  followed  her. 

Harry  drove  on,  and  was  soon  in  the  Rue  Montagnard. 
It  was  a  dark,  narrow  street;  no  one  seemed  stirring, 
and  Harry  peered  anxiously  through  the  darkness  for  the 
figure  of  Jacques.  Presently  he  heard  a  low  whistle,  and 
a  figure  appeared  from  a  doorway.  Harry  at  once 
checked  the  horse. 

"What  is  it?"  Lebat  asked,  putting  his  head  out  of 
the  window. 

Harry  got  off  the  box,  and  going  to  the  window  .said 
in  a  drunken  voice : 

"I  want  my  fare.  There  is  a  cabaret  only  just  ahead, 
and  I  want  a  glass  before  I  go  further.  My  feet  are 
pretty  well  frozen. " 

"Drive  on,  you  drunken  rascal,"  Lebat  said  furiously, 
"or  it  will  be  worse  for  you." 

"Don't  you  speak  in  that  way  to  me,  citizen,"  Harry 
said  hoarsely.  "One  man's  as  good  as  another  in  these 
days,  and  if  you  talk  like  that  to  me  I  will  break  your 
head  in  spite  of  your  red  sash." 

"With  an  exclamation  of  rage  Lebat  sprang  from  the 
coach,  and  as*  his  foot  touched  the   ground  Harry  threw 


192  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

his  arms  round  him ;  but  as  he  did  so  he  trod  upon  some 
of  the  filth  which  so  thickly  littered  the  thoroughfare 
and  slipped.  Lebat  wrenched  himself  free  and  drew  his 
sword,  and  before  Harry  could  have  regained  his  feet  he 
would  have  cut  him  down,  when  he  fell  himself  in  a  heap 
from  a  tremendous  blow  which  Jacques  struck  him  with 
his  sword. 

"Jump  inside,"  Jacques  said  to  Harry.  "We  may  have 
some  one  out  to  see  what  the  noise  is  about.  He  will  be 
no  more  trouble." 

He  seized  the  prostrate  body,  threw  it  up  on  the  box, 
and  taking  his  ssat  drove  on. 

"Marie,"  Harry  said  as  he  jumped  in,  "thank  God  you 
are  safe!" 

"Oh,  Harry,  is  it  you?  Can  it  be  true?"  And  the 
spirit  which  had  so  long  sustained  the  girl  gave  way,  and 
leaning  her  head  upon  his  shoulder  she  burst  into  tears. 
Harry  soothed  and  pacified  her  till  the  vehicle  again 
came  to  a  stop. 

"What  is  it,  Jacques?"  Harry  asked,  putting  his  head 
out  of  the  window. 

"Just  what  we  agreed  upon,"  the  man  said.  "Here 
are  the  empty  houses.  You  stop  where  you  are.  I  will 
get  rid  of  this  trash." 

Harry,  however,  got  out. 

"Is  he  dead?"  he  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

"Well,  considering  his  head's  cut  pretty  nigh  in  two, 
I  should  think  he  was,"  Jacques  said.  "It  could  not  be 
helped,  you  know;  for  if  I  hadn't  struck  sharp  it  would 
have  been  all  over  with  you.  Anyhow  it's  better  as  it  is 
a  hundred  times.  If  you  don't  value  your  neck,  I  do 
mine.     Now  get  in  again.     I  shan't  be  two  minutes. " 

He  slipped  off  the  red  sash  and  coat  and  waistcoat  of 
the  dead  man,  emptied  his  trousers  pockets  and  turned 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  193 

them  inside  out,  then  lifting  the  body  on  his  shoulder  he 
carried  it  to  one  of  the  empty  houses  and  threw  it  down. 
"They  will  never  know  who  he  is, "  he  said  to  him- 
self. "In  this  neighborhood  the  first  comer  will  take  his 
shirt  and  trousers.  They  will  suppose  he  has  been  killed 
and  robbed,  no  uncommon  matter  in  these  days,  and  his 
body  will  be  thrown  into  the  public  pit,  and  no  one  be 
any  the  wiser.  I  will  burn  the  coat  and  waistcoat  as 
soon  as  I  can  get  back." 


194  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  1ERR0R. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

MARIE    AND     VICTOE. 

5sAke  you  taking  me  to  the  girls,  Harry?" 
"No,"  Harry  said.     "It  would  not  be  safe  to  do  so. 
There  are  already  suspicions,  and  they  have  been  de- 
nounced." 

Marie  gave  a  cry  of  alarm. 

"I  have  managed  to  suppress  the  document,  Marie,  and 
we  start  with  them  in  a  day  or  two.     Still  it  will  be  bet- 
ter for  you  not  to  go  near  them.     I  will  arrange  for  you 
to  meet  them  to-morrow." 
"Where  am  I  going,  then?" 

"You  are  going  to  the  house  of  a  worthy  couple,  who 
have  shown  themselves  faithful  and  trustworthy  by  nurs- 
ing a  friend  of  mine,  who  has  for  nearly  six  months  been 
lying  ill  there.  You  will  be  perfectly  safe  there  till  we 
can  arrange  matters." 

"But  if  Robespierre  has  signed  my  release,  as  they 
said,  I  am  safe  enough,  surely,  and  can  go  where  I  like." 
"I  think  you  will  be  safe  from  rearrest  here  in  Paris, 
Marie,  because  you  could  appeal  to  him;  but  outside 
Paris  it  might  be  different.  However,  we  can  talk  about 
that  to-morrow,  when  you  have  had  a  good  night's  rest. " 
Harry  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  say  that  when 
Lebat  was  missed  it  would  probably  be  ascertained  that 
he  was  last  seen  leaving  La  Force  with  her,  and  that  if 
inquiries  were  set  on  foot  about  him  she  might  be  sought 
for.      However,  Marie  said  no  more  on  the  subject,  quite 


ZZV  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  195 

content  that  Harry  should  make  whatever  arrangements 
he  thought  best,  and  she  now  began  to  ask  all  sorts  of 
questions  about  her  sisters,  and  so  passed  the  time  until 
they  were  close  to  the  Place  de  Carrousal;  then  Harry 
called  to  Jacques  to  stop. 

"Will  you  please  get  out,  Marie,  and  wait  with  our 
good  friend  here  till  I  return.  I  shall  be  back  in  five 
minutes.     I  have  to  hand  the  coach  over  to  its  owner." 

Jacques  threw  Lebat's  clothes  over  his  arm  and  got 
down  from  the  box.  Harry  took  his  seat  and  drove  into 
the  Place,  where  he  found  the  coachman  awaiting  him. 

"Have  you  managed  the  job?" 

"That  we  have, "  Harry  said.  "He  has  had  a  lesson, 
and  Isabel  has  gone  off  to  her  friends  again.  Poor  little 
girl,  I  hope  it  will  cure  her  of  her  flightiness.  Here  is 
your  cape  and  your  money,  my  friend,  and  thank  you. ' ' 

"You  are  heartily  welcome, "  the  driver  said,  mount- 
ing his  box.  "I  wish  I  could  do  as  well  every  day;  but 
these  are  bad  times  for  us,  and  money  is  precious  scarce, 
I  can  tell  you." 

Harry  soon  rejoined  Jacques  and  Marie.  There  were 
but  few  words  said  as  they  made  their  way  through  the 
streets,  for  Marie  was  weakened  by  her  long  imprison- 
ment, and  shaken  by  what  she  had  gone  through.  She 
had  not  asked  a  single  question  as  to  what  had  become  of 
Lebat ;  but  she  had  no  doubt  that  he  was  killed.  She 
had  grown,  however,  almost  indifferent  to  death.  Day 
after  day  she  had  seen  batches  of  her  friends  taken  out  to 
execution,  and  the  retribution  which  had  fallen  upon  this 
wretch  gave  her  scarcely  a  thought,  except  a  feeling  of 
thankfulness  that  she  was  freed  frorn  his  persecutions. 
Completely  as  she  trusted  Harry,  it  was  with  the  great- 
est difficulty  that  she  had  brought  herself  to  obey  his 
instructions  and  to  place  herself  for  a  moment  in  the 


196  IN-  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

power  of  her  persecutor,  and  appear  to  go  with  him 
willingly. 

"When  Lebat  told  her  triumphantly  that  he  had  saved 
her  from  death,  and  that  she  was  to  have  formed  one  of 
the  party  in  the  tumbril  on  the  following  morning  had 
he  not  obtained  her  release,  she  had  difficulty  in  keep- 
ing back  the  indignant  words  that  she  would  have  pre- 
ferred death  a  thousand  times.  When  he  said  that  he 
had  come  to  take  her  away,  she  had  looked  round  with  a 
terrified  face,  as  if  to  claim  the  protection  of  the  guards; 
but  he  said  roughly  : 

"It  is  no  use  your  objecting,  you  have  got  to  go  with 
me;  and  if  you  are  a  wise  woman  you  had  better  make 
the  best  of  it.  After  all  I  am  not  very  terrible,  and  you 
had  better  marry  me  than  the  guillotine." 

So,  trembling  with  loathing  and  disgust,  she  had  fol- 
lowed him,  resolved  that  if  Harry's  plan  to  rescue  her 
failed  she  would  kill  herself  rather  than  be  the  wife  of 
this  man. 

When  they  reached  the  house  Elise  opened  the  door. 

"So  you  have  come,  poor  lamb!"  she  said.  "Thanks 
to  the  good  God  that  all  has  turned  out  well.  You  will 
be  safe  here,  my  child.  We  are  rough  people,  but  we 
will  take  care  of  you  as  if  you  were  our  own." 

So  saying  she  led  the  girl  to  the  little  sitting-room 
which  they  had  prepared  for  her,  for  they  had  that  after- 
noon taken  the  other  two  rooms  on  the  floor  they  oc- 
cupied, which  were  fortunately  to  let,  and  had  fitted  them 
up  as  a  bedroom  and  sitting-room  for  her.  There  waa 
already  a  communication  existing  between  the  two  sets 
of  apartments,  and  they  had  only  to  remove  some  brick 
work  between  the  double  doors  to  throw  them  into  one 
suite.  Telling  Marie  to  sit  down,  Elise  hurried  off  and 
returned  with  a  basin  of*bouillon. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  197 

"Drink  this,  my  dear,  and  then  go  straight  to  bedj 
your  friend  will  be  here  in  good  time  in  the  morning, 
and  then  you  can  talk  over  matters  with  him."  She 
waited  to  see  Marie  drink  the  broth,  and  then  helped  her 
to  undress. 

"She  will  be  asleep  in  five  minutes,"  she  said  when 
she  rejoined  her  husband  and  Harry.  "She  is  worn  out 
with  excitement,  but  a  night's  rest  will  do  wonders  for 
her.  Don't  come  too  early  in  the  morning,  Monsieur  j 
Sandwith ;  she  is  sure  to  sleep  late,  and  I  would  not  dis- 
turb her  till  she  wakes  of  herself." 

"I  will  be  here  at  nine,"  Harry  said,  "and  will  go 
round  before  that  and  tell  her  sisters.  They  will  be 
wondering  they  have  seen  nothing  of  me  to-day,  but  I 
was  afraid  to  tell  them  till  it  was  all  over.  The  anxiety 
would  have  been  too  great  for  them." 

It  was  fortunate  that  Bobespierre  went  out  early  on 
the  following  morning  to  attend  a  meeting  at  the 
Jacobins,  and  Harry  was  therefore  saved  the  necessity  for 
asking  leave  to  absent  himself  again.  At  eight  o'clock 
he  was  at  Louise  Moulin 's. 

"What  is  it,  Harry?"  Jeanne  exclaimed  as  he  entered. 
"I  can  see  you  have  news.     What  is  it?" 

"I  have  news,"  Harry  said,  "and  good  news,  but  you 
must  not  excite  yourselves." 

"Have  you  found  a  way  for  getting  Marie  out?" 

"Yes,  I  have  found  a  way." 

"A  sure,  certain  way,  Harry?"  Virginie  asked;  "not 
only  a  chance?" 

"A  sure,  certain  way,"  Harry  replied.  "You  need 
have  no  more  fear;  Marie  will  certainly  be  freed." 

The  two  girls  stood  speechless  with  delight.  It  never 
occurred  to  them  to  doubt  Harry's  words  when  he  spoke 
so  confidently. 


198  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Have  you  told  us  all,  Harry?"  Jeanne  asked  a  minute 
later,  looking  earnestly  in  his  face.  "Can  it  be? — is  she 
really  out  already?" 

"Yes,"  Harry  said,  "thank  God,  dears,  your  sister  is 
free." 

With  a  cry  of  delight  Virginie  sprang  to  him,  and 
throwing  her  arms  round  his  neck,  kissed  him  in  the  ex- 
uberance of  her  happiness.  Louise  threw  her  apron  over 
her  head  and  burst  into  tears  of  thankfulness  while 
Jeanne  put  her  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said : 

"Oh,  Harry,  how  can  we  ever  thank  you  enough  for  all 
you  have  done  for  us?" 

Six  months  back  Jeanne  would  probably  have  acted  as 
Virginie  did,  but  those  six  months  had  changed  her 
greatly ;  indeed,  ever  since  she  received  that  note  from 
Marie,  which  she  had  never  shown  even  to  Virginie,  there 
had  been  a  shade  of  difference  in  her  manner  to  Harry, 
which  he  had  more  than  once  noticed  and  wondered  at. 

It  was  some  little  time  before  the  girls  were  sufficiently 
composed  to  listen  to  Harry's  story. 

"But  why  did  you  not  bring  her  here,  Harry?"  Vir- 
ginie asked.      "Why  did  you  take  her  somewhere  else?" 

"For  several  reasons,  Virginie.  I  have  not  told  you 
before,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  know 
now  that  Victor  is  still  in  Paris." 

Virginie  uttered  an  exclamation  of  wonder. 

"He  stopped  here  to  look  after  you  all,  but  he  has  had 
a  very  bad  illness,  and  is  still  terribly  weak,  and  does 
not  even  know  me.  Marie  will  nurse  him.  I  have  great 
hopes  that  he  will  know  her,  and  that  she  may  be  able  in 
time  to  effect  a  complete  cure.  In  the  next  place  I  think 
it  would  be  dangerous  to  bring  her  here,  for  we  must 
leave  in  a  very  few  days." 

"What,  go  without  her?" 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  199 

"Yes,  I  am  afraid  so,  Virginie.  I  have  learned, 
Louise,  that  some  of  your  neighbors  have  their  sus- 
picions, and  that  a  letter  of  denunciation  has  already 
been  sent,  so  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  to  make  a 
move.  I  have  suppressed  the  first  letter,  but  the  writer 
will  probably  not  let  the  matter  drop,  and  may  write  to 
Danton  or  Marat  next  time,  so  we  must  go  without  delay. 
You  cannot  change  your  lodging,  for  they  would  cer- 
tainly trace  you ;  beside,  at  the  present  time  the  regula- 
tions about  lodgers  are  so  strict  that  no  one  would  dare 
receive  you  until  the  committee  of  the  district  have  exam- 
ined you  and  are  perfectly  satisfied.  Therefore,  I  think 
we  must  go  alone.  Marie  is  wanted  here,  and  I  think  she 
will  be  far  safer  nursing  Victor  than  she  would  be  with 
us;  beside,  now  she  has  been  freed  by  Robespierre's 
orders,  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  fear  of  her  arrest,  even 
if  her  identity  were  discovered.  Lastly,  it  would  be 
safer  to  travel  three  than  four.  Three  girls  traveling 
with  a  young  fellow  like  me  would  be  sure  to  attract  at- 
tention. It  will  be  difficult  enough  in  any  case,  but  it 
would  certainly  be  worse  with  her  with  us." 

"But  we  are  to  see  her,  Harry?"  Jeanne  said. 
"Surely  we  are  not  to  go  away  without  seeing  Marie!" 

"Certainly  not,  Jeanne;  I  am  not  so  cruel  as  that. 
This  evening,  after  dark,  we  will  meet  in  the  gardens  of 
the  Tuileries.  Louise,  will  you  bring  them  down  and  be 
with  them  near  the  main  entrance?  I  will  bring  Marie 
there  at  six  o'clock.  And  now  I  must  be  off;  I  have  to 
break  the  news  to  Marie  that  Victor  is  in  the  same  house 
with  her  and  ill.  I  did  not  tell  her  last  night.  She  will 
be  better  able  to  bear  it  after  a  good  night's  sleep." 

Marie  was  up  and  dressed  when  Harry  arrived,  and 
was  sitting  by  the  fire  in  the  little  kitchen. 

"I  have   just  left  your  sisters,   Marie,"   Harry   said, 


200  M  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"and  you  may  imagine  their  delight  at  the  news  I  gave 
them.  You  are  to  see  them  this  evening  in  the  gardens 
of  the  Tuileries. " 

"Oh,  Harry,  how  good  you  are!  How  much  you  have 
done  for  us!" 

Harry  laughed  lightly. 

"Not  very  much  yet;  beside,  it  has  been  a  pleasure  as 
well  as  a  duty.  The  girls  have  both  been  so  brave,  and 
Jeanne  has  the  head  of  a  woman." 

"She  is  nearly  a  woman  now,  Harry,"  Marie  said 
gently.  "She  is  some  months  past  sixteen,  and  though 
you  tell  me  girls  of  that  age  in  England  are  quite 
children,  it  is  not  so  here.  Why,  it  is  nothing  uncom- 
mon for  a  girl  to  marry  at  sixteen." 

"Well,  at  any  rate,"  Harry  said,  "Jeanne  has  no  time 
for  any  thoughts  of  marrying  just  at  present.  But  there 
is  another  thing  I  want  to  tell  you  about.  I  have  first  a 
confession  to  make.     I  have  deceived  you." 

"Deceived  me!"  Marie  said  with  a  smile.  "It  can  be 
nothing  very  dreadful,  Harry.     Well,  what  is  it?" 

"It  is  more  serious  than  you  think,  Marie.  Now  you 
know  that  when  the  trouble  began  I  felt  it  quite  out  of 
the  question  for  me  to  run  away,  and  to  leave  you  all  here 
in  Paris  unprotected.  Such  a  thing  would  have  been 
preposterous." 

"You  think  so,  Harry,  because  you  have  a  good  heart; 
but  most  people  would  have  thought  of  themselves,  and 
would  not  have  run  all  sorts  of  risks  for  the  sake  of  three 
girls  with  no  claim  upon  them." 

"Well,  Marie,  you  allow  then  that  a  person  with  a  good 
heart  would  naturally  do  as  I  did." 

"Well,  supposing  I  do,  Harry,  what  then?" 

"You  must  still  further  allow  that  a  person  with  a 
good  heart,  and  upon  whoro  you  had  a  great  claim,  would 
all  the  more  have  remained  to  protect  you." 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  201 

"What  are  you  driving  at,  Harry,  with  your  supposi- 
tion?" she  said,  her  cheek  growing  a  little  paler  as  a  sus- 
picion of  the  truth  flashed  upon  her. 

"Well,  Marie,  you  mustn't  be  agitated,  and  I  hope  you 
will  not  be  angry;  but  I  ask  you  how,  as  he  has  a  good 
heart,  and  you  have  claims  upon  him,  could  you  expect 
Victor  de  Gisons  to  run  away  like  a  coward  and  leave  you 
here?" 

Marie  had  risen  to  her  feet  and  gazed  at  him  with 
frightened  eyes. 

"What,  is  it  about  him  that  you  deceived  me?  Is  it 
true  that  he  did  not  go  away  ?  Has  anything  happened 
to  him?     Oh,  Harry,  do  not  say  he  is  dead!" 

"He  is  not  dead,  Marie,  but  he  has  been  very,  very  ill. 
He  was  with  me  at  La  Force  on  that  terrible  night,  and 
saw  his  father  brought  out  to  be  murdered.  The  shock 
nearly  killed  him.  He  has  had  brain  fever,  and  has  been 
at  death's  door.  At  present  he  is  mending,  but  very, 
very  slowly.  He  knows  no  one,  not  even  me,  but  I  trust 
that  your  voice  and  your  presence  will  do  wonders  for 
him." 

"Where  is  he,  Harry?"  Marie  said  as  she  stood  with 
clasped  hands,  and  a  face  from  which  every  vestige  of 
color  had  flown.     "Take  me  to  him  at  once." 

"He  is  in  the  house,  Marie;  that  is  why  I  have  brought 
you  here.  These  good  people  have  nursed  and  concealed 
him  for  five  months." 

Marie  made  a  movement  toward  the  door. 

"Wait,  Marie,  you  cannot  go  to  him  till  you  compose 
yourself.  It  is  all-important  that  you  should  speak  to 
him,  when  you  see  him,  in  your  natural  voice,  and  you 
must  prepare  yourself  for  a  shock.  He  is  at  present  a 
mere  wreck,  so  changed  that  you  will  hardly  know  him." 

"You  are  telling  me  the  truth,  Harry?  You  are  not 
hiding  from  me  that  he  is  dying?" 


202  Iff  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"No,  dear;  I  believe,  on  my  honor,  that  he  is  out  of 
danger  now,  and  that  he  is  progressing.  It  is  his  mind 
more  than  his  body  that  needs  curing.  It  may  be  a  long 
and  difficult  task,  Marie,  before  he  is  himself  again;  but 
I  believe  that  with  your  care  and  companionship  he  will 
get  round  in  time,  but  it  may  be  months  before  that." 

"Time  is  nothing,"  Marie  said.  "But  what  about  the 
girls?" 

"They  must  still  be  under  my  charge,  Marie.  I  shall 
start  with  them  in  a  day  or  two  and  try  to  make  for  the 
seashore,  and  then  across  to  England.  Suspicions  have 
been  aroused;  they  have  already  been  denounced,  and 
may  be  arrested  at  any  time.  Therefore  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  they  should  fly  at  once;  but  I  thought 
that  you  would  consider  it  your  first  duty  to  stay  with 
Victor,  seeing  that  to  him  your  presence  is  everything, 
while  you  could  do  nothing  to  assist  your  sisters,  and 
indeed  the  fewer  of  us  there  are  the  better." 

"Certain^  it  is  my  duty,"  Marie  said  firmly. 

"You  will  be  perfectly  safe  here  under  the  care  of 
Jacques  and  his  wife.  They  have  already  given  out  to 
their  neighbors  that  Victor's  fiancee  is  coming  to  help 
nurse  him,  and  even  if  by  any  possibility  a  suspicion  of 
your  real  position  arises,  you  have  Kobespierre's  pardon 
as  a  protection.  This  state  of  things  cannot  last  forever; 
a  reaction  must  come;  and  then  if  Victor  is  cured  you 
will  be  able  to  escape  together  to  England." 

"Leave  me  a  few  minutes  by  myself,  Harry.  All  this 
lias  come  so  suddenly  upon  me  that  I  feel  bewildered." 

"Certainly,"  Harry  said.  "It  is  best  that  you  should 
Slink  things  over  a  little.  No  wonder  you  feel  be- 
wildered and  shaken  with  all  the  trials  you  have  gone 
through." 

Marie  went  to  her  room  and  returned  in  a  quarter  of 
an  hour. 


ffl  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  203 

"I  am  ready  now,"  she  said,  and  by  the  calm  and 
tranquil  expression  of  her  face  Harry  felt  that  she  could 
be  trusted  to  see  Victor. 

"I  have  a  feeling,"  she  -went  on,  "that  everything  will 
come  right  in  the  end.  I  have  been  saved  almost  by  a 
miracle,  and  I  cannot  but  feel  that  my  life  has  been 
spared  in  order  that  I  might  take  my  place  here.  As  to 
the  girls,  it  was  a  shock  at  first  when  you  told  me  that 
fresh  danger  threatened  them,  and  that  I  should  not  be 
able  to  share  their  perils  upon  their  journey;  but  I  could 
not  have  aided  them,  and  God  has  marked  out  my  place 
here.  No,  Harry,  God  has  protected  me  so  far,  and  will 
aid  me  still.     Now  I  am  ready  for  whatever  may  betide." 

"One  moment  before  you  enter,  Marie.  You  are  pre- 
pared, I  know,  to  see  a  great  change  in  Victor,  but  never- 
theless you  cannot  but  be  shocked  at  first.  Do  not  go 
up  to  him  or  attract  his  attention  till  you  have  overcome 
this  and  are  able  to  speak  to  him  in  your  natural  voice. 
I  think  a  great  deal  depends  upon  the  first  impression 
jrou  make  on  his  brain.  Your  voice  has  changed  a  good 
deal  in  the  last  six  months;  it  would  be  strange  if  it  had 
not ;  but  I  want  you  to  try  and  speak  to  him  in  the 
bright,  cheerful  tone  he  was  accustomed  to  hear." 

Marie  nodded.  "One  moment,"  she  said,  as  she 
brushed  aside  the  tears  which  filled  her  eyes,  drew  her- 
self up  with  a  little  gesture  that  reminded  Harry  of  old 
times,  and  then  with  a  swift  step  passed  through  the  door 
into  Victor's  room.  Whatever  she  felt  at  the  sight  of  the 
wasted  figure  lying  listlessly  with  half-closed  eyes  on  tho 
couch,  it  only  showed  itself  by  a  swift  expression  of  pain 
which  passed  for  a  moment  across  her  face  and  then  was 
gone. 

"Victor,"  she  said  in  her  clear,  ringing  voice,  "Victor, 
my  well  beloved,  I  am  come  to  you."     The  effect  upon 


204  -EV  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

Victor  was  instantaneous.  He  opened  bis  eyes  with  a 
start,  half-rose  from  his  couch  and  held  out  his  arms 
toward  her. 

"Marie,"  he  said  in  a  faint  voice,  "you  have  come  at 
last.     I  have  wanted  you  so  much." 

Then,  as  Marie  advanced  to  him,  and  kneeling  by  his 
side,  clasped  him  in  her  arms,  Elise  and  Harry  stole 
quietly  from  the  room.  It  was  nearly  an  hour  before 
Marie  came  out.  There  was  a  soft  giow  of  happiness  on 
her  face,  though  her  cheeks  were  pale. 

"Not  yet!"  she  said,  as  she  swept  past  them  into  her 
own  room. 

In  a  few  minutes  she  reappeared. 

"Pardon  me,"  she  said,  holding  out  her  hands  to 
Harry  and  Elise,  "but  I  had  to  thank  the  good  God  first. 
Victor  is  quite  sensible  now,  but  oh,  so  weak!  He  re- 
members nothing  of  the  past,  but  seems  to  think  he  is 
still  down  in  Burgundy,  and  has  somehow  had  an  illness. 
Then  he  spoke  of  the  duke  and  my  dear  father  and 
mother  as  being  still  alive,  and  that  he  hoped  they  would 
let  me  come  to  him  now.  I  told  him  that  all  should  be  as 
he  wished  as  soon  as  he  got  stronger,  but  that  he  must 
not  think  of  anything  now,  and  that  I  wouM  nurse  him, 
and  all  would  be  well.  He  seemed  puzzled  about  my 
dress" — for  Marie  had  already  put  on  the  simple  attire 
which  had  been  prepared  for  her — "but  I  told  him  that 
it  was  fit  for  a  sick-room,  and  he  seemed  satisfied.  He 
has  just  dozed  off  te>  sleep,  and  I  will  go  in  and  sit  wiifefa 
him  now  till  he  wakes." 

"When  he  does,  mademoiselle,  I  will  have  some  broth 
and  a  glass  of  good  Burgundy  ready  for  him,"  Elise  said. 

"Thank  you;  but  please  call  me  Marie  in  future. 
There  are  no  mesdemoiselles  in  France  now,  and  I  shall 
call  you  Elise  instead  of  madame.  And  Harry  would  you 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  205 

mind  telling  the  girls  that  I  will  meet  them  to-morrow 
instead  of  this  evening.  I  long  to  see  them,  oh  so,  so 
much;  but  I  should  not  like  to  leave  him  for  a  moment 
now.  I  fear  so  that  his  memory  might  go  again  if  he 
were  to  wake  and  miss  me." 

"I  was  going  to  propose  it  myself,  Marie,"  Harry 
said.  "It  is  all-important  to  avoid  any  agitation  now. 
To-morrow,  I  hope,  it  will  be  safer,  and  the  doctor  will 
give  him  a  sleeping  draught,  so  that  he  shall  not  wake 
while  you  are  away.  But,  Marie,  remember  it  will  be  a 
farewell  visit,  for  I  dare  not  let  them  stay  more  than 
another  day.  They  may  be  denounced  again  at  any 
hour,  for  the  man  who  wrote  to  Robespierre,  if  he  finds 
that  nothing  comes  of  it,  may  go  to  the  local  committee, 
and  they  will  not  lose  an  hour,  you  may  be  sure." 

"I  must  see  them  this  evening  then,"  Marie  said  hur- 
riedly. "The  doctor  will  be  here,  you  say,  soon.  -  Victor 
must  have  his  sleeping-draught  this  afternoon  instead  of 
to-morrow.  They  must  go  at  once.  I  should  never 
forgive  myself  if,  by  putting  off  our  parting  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  I  caused  them  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
these  wretches;  so  please  hurry  on  all  the  arrangements 
so  that  they  may  leave  the  first  thing  to-morrow  morning. " 

"It  will  be  best,"  Harry  said,  "if  you  will  do  it, 
Marie.  I  own  that  I  am  in  a  fever  of  apprehension.  I 
will  go  there  at  once  to  tell  them  that  all  must  be  in 
readiness  by  to-night.  They  will  be  glad  indeed  to  hear 
that  your  presence  has  done  such  wonders  for  Victor. 
They  will  be  able  to  leave  you  with  a  better  heart  if  they 
feel  that  your  stay  here  is  likely  to  bring  health  to  him 
and  happiness  to  both  of  you." 

"A  week  since,"  Marie  said,  "it  did  not  seejtn  to  me 
that  I  could  ever  be  happy  again;  but  though  everything 
is  still  very  dark,  the  clouds  seem  lifting." 


206  -EV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

The  girls  were  greatly  rejoiced  when  they  heard  the 
good  news  that  Victor  had  recognized  Marie,  and  that 
Harry  had  now  hopes  that  he  would  do  well. 

"And  now  we  must  talk  about  ourselves,"  Harry  said. 
"We  must  not  lose  another  hour.  Now,  Louise,  you 
must  take  part  in  ©ur  council.  We  have  everything  to 
settle,  and  only  a  few  hours  to  do  it  in.  I  should  like, 
if  possible,  that  we  should  not  come  back  here  this  even- 
ing after  you  have  once  left  the  house.  The  man  who 
denounced  you  will  expect  that  something  would  be  done 
to-day,  and  when  he  sees  that  nothing  has  come  of  his 
letter  he  may  go  this  evening  to  the  local  committee,  and 
they  would  send  men  at  once  to  arrest  you.  No  doubt 
he  only  wrote  to  Kobespierre  first,  thinking  he  would  get 
credit  and  perhaps  a  post  of  some  sort  for  his  vigilance 
in  the  cause.  But  if  Louise  thinks  that  it  cannot  possi* 
bly  be  managed,  I  will  write  a  letter  at  once  to  him  in 
Robespierre's  name,  saying  that  his  letter  has  been 
noted  and  your  movements  will  be  closely  watched,  and 
thanking  him  for  his  zeal  in  the  public  service." 

"No,  I  think  we  are  ready,"  Jeanne  said.  "Of  course 
we  have  been  talking  it  over  for  weeks,  and  agreed  it  was 
better  to  be  in  readiness  whenever  you  told  us  it  was  time 
to  go.     Louise  will  tell  you  all  about  it." 

Harry  looked  toward  Louise. 

"The  disguises  are  all  ready,  Monsieur  Sandwith;  and 
yesterday  when  you  said  that  my  dear  mademoiselle  could 
not  go  with  them,  I  settled,  if  you  do  not  see  arty  objec- 
tion, to  go  with  the  dear  children." 

"I  should  be  very  glad,"  Etarry  said  eagerly,  for  al- 
though he  had  seen  no  other  way  o*t  of  it  the  difficulties 
and  inconveniences  of  a  journey  alone  with  Jeanne  and 
Yirginie  had  been  continually  on  his  mind.  T4ie  idea  of 
taking  the  old  woman  with  them  had  never  occurred  to 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  207 

him,  but  he  now  hailed  it  as  a  most  welcome  solution  of 
the  difficulty. 

"That  will  be  a  thousand  times  better  in  every  way, 
for  with  you  with  us  it  would  excite  far  less  remark  than 
three  young  people  traveling  alone.  But  I  fear,  Louise, 
that  the  hardships  we  may  have  to  undergo  will  be 
great." 

"It  matters  little,"  the  old  woman  said.  "I  nursed 
their  mother,  and  have  for  years  lived  on  her  bounty; 
and  gladly  now  will  I  give  what  little  remains  to  me  of 
life  in  the  service  of  her  dear  children.  I  know  that 
everything  is  turned  topsy-turvy  in  our  poor  country  at 
present,  but  as  long  as  I  have  life  in  my  body  I  will  not 
let  my  dear  mistress'  children  be,  for  weeks  perhaps, 
wandering  about  with  only  a  young  gentleman  to  protect 
them,  and  Mademoiselle  Jeanne  almost  a  woman  too." 

"Yes,  it  is  better  in  every  way,"  Harry  said.  "I  felt 
that  it  wOuld  be  a  strange  position,  but  it  seemed  that  it 
could  not  be  helped;  however,  your  offer  gets  us  out  of 
the  embarrassment.     So  your  disguises  are  ready?" 

"Yes,  monsieur,"  Louise  said;  "I  have  a  boy's  suit 

for  Mademoiselle  Virginie.     She  did  not  like  it  at  first, 

but  I  thought  that  if  mademoiselle  went  with  you  it 

v -would  be  strange  to  have  three  girls  journeying  under 

the  charge  of  one  young  man." 

"I  think  it  a  very  good  plan,  Louise,  but  you  must 
get  out  of  the  way  of  calling  me  monsieur  or  else  it  will 
slip  out  before  people.  Now  what  I  propose  is,  that 
■when  we  get  fairly  away  we  shall  buy  a  horse  and  cart, 
for  with  you  with  us  we  can  go  forward  more  boldly  than 
if  we  were  alone. 

"You  will  be  grandmother,  and  we  shall  be  traveling 
from  a  farm  near  Etampes  to  visit  you*  daughter,  who  is 
married  to  a  farmer  near  Nantes.     That  will  be  a  likely 


208  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

« 

story  now,  and  we  can  always  make  a  detour  to  avoid 
towns.  It  will  be  dark  when  you  go  out  this  evening,  so 
you  can  take  three  bundles  of  clothes  with  you.  The 
only  thing  is  about  to-night.  The  weather  is  bitterly 
cold,  and  it  is  out  of  the  question  that  you  should  stop 
out  all  night,  and  yet  we  could  hot  ask  for  a  lodging 
close  to  Paris. 

"Oh,  I  see  now!  The  best  plan  will  be  for  you  all  to 
sleep  to-night  at  Jacques'.  The  good  people  will  man- 
age somehow;  then  we  can  start  early  in  the  morning. 
Yes,  and  in  that  way  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  Marie  to 
go  out  and  leave  Vi«tor. " 

"That  wrill  certainly  be  the  best  way, "  Louise  said. 
"I  have  been  wondering  ever  since  you  said  we  must 
start  this  evening  what  would  become  of  us  to-night. 
When  we  once  get  fairly  away  from  Paris  it  will  be 
easier,  for  the  country  people  are  kind-hearted,  and  I 
think  we  shall  always  be  able  to  get  shelter  for  the  night ; 
but  just  outside  Paris  it  would  be  different.  -Then  where 
shall  we  meet  this  evening?" 

"I  will  be  at  the  end  of  the  street,"  Harry  said.  "It 
is  quite  dark  by  five,  so  do  you  start  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
later ;  hide  your  bundles  under  your  cloak,  for  if  that 
fellow  is  on  the  lookout  he  might  follow  you  if  he  thought 
you  we^e  leaving.  Draw  your  blinds  up  when  you  leave, 
Louise,  so  that  the  rooan  will  look  as  usual,  and  then  it 
may  be  some  time  before  any  one  suspects  that  you  have 
left ;  and  if  I  were  you  I  would  mention  to  some  of  your 
neighbors  this  afternoon  that  you  have  had  a  letter  from 
your  friends  in  Burgundy,  and  are  going  away  soon  with 
your  nieces  to  stay  with  them  for  awhile.  You  had 
better  pay  your  rent  for  three  months  in  advance,  and 
tell  your  landlord  the  same  thing;  saying  that  you  may 
go  suddenly  any  time,  as  a  compere  who  is  in  Paris,  and 


J7V  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  20& 

is  also  going  back,  is  going  to  take  charge  of  you  on  "tha 
journey,  and  that  he  may  call  for  you  at  any  time.  Thus 
■when  he  finds  that  you  have  left,  your  absence  will  be 
accounted  for;  not  that  it  makes  much  difference,  for  I 
hope  that  when  you  have  seen  the  girls  safely  to  England 
you  will  make  your  home  with  them  there." 

"Yes,  I  shall  never  come  back  here,"  the  old  woman 
said,  "never,  even  if  I  could.  Paris  is  hateful  to  me 
now,  and  I  have  no  reason  for  ever  wanting  to  come 
back." 

"In  that  case,"  Harry  said,  smiling,  "we  may  as  well 
save  the  three  months'  rent." 

"Oh,  how  I  long  to  be-in  England,"  Virginie  ex- 
claimed, "and  to  see  dear  Ernest  and  Jules  again!  How 
anxious  they  must  be  about  us,  not  having  heard  of  us  all 
this  longtime!  How  shall  we  know  where  to  find  them?" 

"You  forget,  Virginie,"  Jeanne  said,  "it  was  arranged 
they  should  go  to  Harry's  father  when  they  got  to 
England,  and  he  will  know  where  they  are  living;  there 
is  sure  to  be  no  mistake  about  that,  is  there,  Harry?" 

"None  at  all, "  Harry  said.  "You  may  rely  upon  it 
that  directly  you  get  to  my  father  you  will  hear  where 
your  brothers  are.  And  now  I  will  go  and  tell  Marie 
that  there  is  no  occasion  for  Victor  to  take  a  sleeping- 
draught. " 

Marie  was  delighted  when  she  heard  that  she  was  going 
to  have  her  sisters  with  her  for  the  whole  evening  and 
night,  and  Elise  busied  herself  with  preparations  for  the 
accommodation  of  her  guests.  Harry  then  went  back  to 
his  attic,  made  his  clothes  into  a  bundle,  and  took  up  the 
bag  of  money  from  its  hiding-place  under  a  board  and 
placed  it  in  his  pocket.  He  had,  since  he  had  been  with 
Robespiei're,  gradually  changed  the  silver  for  gold  in  or- 
der to  make  it  more  convenient  to  carry,  and  it  was  now 


210  If  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

of  comparatively  little  -weight,  although  he  had  drawn 
but  slightly  upon  it,  except  for  the  payment  of  the  bribe 
promised  to  the  warder.  His  pistols  were  also  hidden 
under  his  blouse. 

He  went  downstairs  and  waited  the  return  of  Robe- 
spierre. 

"Citizen,"  he  said  when  he  entered,  "circumstances 
have  occurred  which  render  it  necessary  for  me  to  travel 
down  to  Nantes  to  escort  a  young  girl,  a  boy,  and  an  old 
woman  to  that  town;  they  cannot  travel  alone  in  such 
times  as  these,  and  they  have  a  claim  upon  me  which  I 
cannot  ignore." 

"Surely,  friend  Sandwith, "  Robespierre  said,  "the 
affairs  of  France  are  of  more  importance  than  private 
matters  like  these." 

"Assuredly  they  are,  citizen;  but  I  cannot  flatter 
myself  that  the  affairs  of  France  will  be  in  any  way  in- 
jured by  my  temporary  absence.  My  duty  in  this  mat- 
ter is  clear  to  me,  and  I  can  only  regret  that  my  tempo- 
rary absence  may  put  you  to  some  inconvenience.  But  I 
have  a  double  favor  to  ask  you :  the  one  is  to  spare  me 
for  a  time ;  the  second,  that  you  will  give  me  papers 
recommending  me,  and  those  traveling  with  me,  to  the 
authorities  of  the  towns  through  which  we  shall  pass.  In 
these  times,  when  the  enemies  of  the  state  are  traveling 
throughout  France  seeking  to  corrupt  the  minds  of  the 
people,  it  is  necessary  to  have  papers  showing  that  one  is 
a  good  citizen." 

"But  I  have  no  authority,"  Robespierre  said.  "I  am 
neither  a  minister  nor  a  ruler." 

"YoiTare  not  a  minister,  citizen,  but  jrou  are  assuredly 
a  ruler.  It  is  to  you  men  look  more  than  to  any  other. 
Danton  is  too  headstrong  and  violent.  You  alone  com- 
bine fearlessness  in  the  cause  of  France  with  that  wisdom 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  211 

and  moderation  which  are,  above  all  things,  necessary  in 
guiding  the  state  through  its  dangers.1' 

Robespierre's  vanity  was  so  inordinate  that  he  accepted 
the  compliment  as  his  due,  though  he  waved  his  hand 
with  an  air  of  deprecation. 

"Therefore,  citizen,"  Harry  went  on,  " a  letter  from 
you  would  be  more  powerful  than  an  order  from  another." 

"But  these  persons  who  travel  with  you,  citizen — how 
am  I  to  be  sure  that  they  are  not  enemies  of  France?" 

"France  is  not  to  be  shaken,"  Harry  said,  smiling, 
"by  the  efforts  of  an  old  woman  of  seventy  and  a  young 
boy  and  girl;  but  I  can  assure  you  that  they  are  no 
enemies  of  France,  but  simple,  inoffensive  people  who 
have  been  frightened  by  the  commotion  in  Paris,  and 
long  to  return  to  the  country  life  to  which  they  are  ac- 
customed. Come,  citizen,  you  refused  the  first  boon 
which  I  asked  you,  and,  methin^ks,  cannot  hesitate  at 
granting  one  who  has  deserved  well  of  you  this  slight 
favor." 

"You  are  right,"  Robespierre  said.  "I  cannot  refuse 
you,  even  if  the  persons  who  accompany  you  belong  to 
the  class  of  suspects,  of  which,  mind,  I  know  nothing, 
though'I  may  have  my  suspicions.  I  have  not  forgotten, 
you  know,  that  you  asked  for  the  life  of  the  daughter  of 
the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  St.  Caux;  and  for  aught  I  know 
these  children  may  be  of  the  same  breed.  But  I  will  not 
ask  you.  Did  I  know  it,  not  even  the  obligation  I  am 
under  to  you  would  induce  me  to  do  what  you  ask ;  for 
although  as  children  they  can  do  no  harm,  they  might  do 
so  were  they  allowed  to  grow  up  hating  France.  All 
children  of  suspects  are,  as  you  know,  ordered  to  be 
placed  in  the  state  schools,  in  order  that  they  may  there 
learn  to  love  the  people  of  France  and  to  grow  up  worthy 
citizens.  Now,  how  shall  I  word  it?"  he  said,  taking  up 
a  pen;  and  Harry  dictated: 


213  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"1  hereby  recommend  Citizen  Henri  Sand  with,  age* 
nineteen,  who  has  been  acting  as  my  confidential  secre- 
tarj%  to  all  public  authorities,  together  with  Citoyenne 
Moulin  and  her  two  grandchildren,  with  whom  he  is 
traveling." 

To  this  Robespierre  signed  his  name  and  handed  the 
paper  to  Harry. 

"How  long  will  you  be  before  you  return?"  he  asked. 

"I  cannot  say  exactly,"  Harry  replied;  ftas  after  I 
have  seen  them  to  their  destination  I  may  stop  with  them 
for  a  few  weeks. ' ' 

Eobespierre  nodded  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  with  me  again,  for  I  have 
conceived  a  strong  friendship  for  you,  and  I  think  none 
the  worse  of  you  for  your  showing  your  gratitude  to  the 
family  in  whom  you  are  interested." 

Harry  then  went  into  the  kitchen,  where  Eobespierre's 
sister  was  preparing  the  next  meal,  and  said  good-by  to 
her. 

She  had  taken  a  fancy  to  her  brother's  young  secre- 
tary, and  expressed  a  hope  that  his  absence  would  be  but  a 
short  one,  telling  him  that  Eobespierre  had  said  only  the 
day  before  how  much  work  he  had  saved  him,  and  that 
he  was  determined  to  push  his  fortunes  to  the  utmost. 

Having  thus  paved  the  way  for  an  appeal  to  Eobe- 
spierre should  he  find  himself  in  difficulties  on  the  road, 
Harry  proceeded  to  Jacques'  house  and  waited  there 
until  it  was  time  to  go  up  to  meet  Louise  and  the  girls. 

Victor  did  not  wake  until  the  afternoon.  The  doctor 
had  called  as  usual,  but  had  not  roused  him.  He  had 
been  told  what  had  taken  place,  and  had  held  out  hope 
to  Marie  that  Victor's  improvement  would  be  permanent, 
and  that  he  would  now  make  steady  progress  toward 
recovery. 


m  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  213 

At  the  appointed  hour  Harry  was  at  his  post  to  meet 
the  party.  They  came  along  within  a  few  minutes  of  the 
time  named,  but  instead  of  stopping  to  greet  him  they 
walked  straight  on,  Jeanne  saying  as  she  passed  him : 

"I  think  we  are  followed." 

Harry  at  once  drew  back  and  allowed  them  to  go  fifty 
yards  on  before  he  moved  after  them.  As  there  were 
many  people  about,  it  was  some  little  time  before  he 
could  verify  Jeanne's  suspicions;  then  he  noticed  that  a 
man,  walking  a  short  distance  ahead  of  him,  followed 
each  turning  that  the  others  took. 

Harry  waited  until  they  were  in  a  quiet  street,  and 
then  quickened  his  pace  until  he  was  close  behind  the 
man.  Then  he  drew  one  of  his  pistols,  and,  springing 
forward,  struck  him  a  heavy  blow  on  the  head  with  its 
butt.  He  fell  forward  on  his  face  without  a  cry ;  and 
Harry,  satisfied  that  he  had  stunned  him,  ran  on  and 
overtook  the  others,  and,  turning  down  the  first  street 
they  came  to,  was  assured  that  they  were  safe  from 
pursuit. 

"We  had  noticed  a  man  lounging  against  the  house 
opposite  all  the  afternoon,"  Jeanne  said,  "and  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  he  must  be  watching  us,  so  we  looked 
out  for  him  when  we  came  out,  and  noticed  that  as  soon 
as  we  went  on  he  began  to  walk  that  way  too.  So  I  told 
Louise  to  walk  straight  on  without  stopping  when  we 
came  up  to  you.  I  was  sure  you  would  manage  somehow 
to  get  rid  of  him." 

Harry  laughed. 

"I  fancy  he  will  spend  to-morrow  in  bed  instead  of 
lounging  about.  Perhaps  it  will  teach  him  to  mind  his 
own  business  in  future  and  to  leave  other  people  alone. 
I  am  very  glad  that  he  did  follow  you ;  for  I  felt  that  I 
owed  him  one,  and  was  sorry  to  leave  Paris  without  pay- 
ing my  debt.     Now  I  think  Ave  are  pretty  well  square." 


214  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

The  meeting  between  the  sisters  was  indeed  a  happy 
one.  They  fell  on  each  other's  necks,  and  for  some  time 
scarce  a  word  was  spoken ;  then  they  stood  a  little  apart 
and  had  a  long  look  at  each  other. 

"You  are  changed,  Marie  dear,"  Jeanne  said;  "you 
look  pale,  but  you  look,  too,  softer  and  prettier  than  you 
used  to." 

"All  my  airs  and  graces  have  been  rubbed  off,"  Marie 
said  with  a  slight  smile.  "I  have  learned  so  much, 
Jeanne,  and  have  been  where  noble  blood  has  been  the 
reverse  of  a  recommendation.  You  are  changed  too — the 
six  months  have  altered  you.  Your  gouvernante  would 
not  call  you  a  wild  girl  now.     You  are  quite  a  woman." 

"We  have  suffered  too,  Marie,"  Jeanne  said  as  tears 
came  to  her  eyes  at  the  thought  of  the  changes  and  losses 
of  the  last  few  months.  "We  have  thought  of  you  night 
and  day ;  but  Louise  has  been  very  good  to  us,  and  as 
lor  Harry,  we  owe  everything  to  him.  He  had  always 
been  so  hopeful  and  strong,  and  has  cheered  us  up  with 
promises  that  he  would  bring  you  to  us  some  day." 

Marie  smiled. 

"You  are  right,  Jeanne.  I  used  to  laugh  a  little,  you 
know,  at  your  belief  in  your  hero,  and  little  thought  that 
the  time  would  come  when  I  should  trust  him  as  implicitly 
as  you  do.  You  have  a  right  to  be  proud  of  him, 
Jeanne.  WThat  thought  and  devotion  and  courage  he 
has  shown  for  us !  and  do  you  know,  he  saved  Victor  too. 
Jacques  has  told  me  all  about  it — how  Victor  saw  his 
father  brought  out  to  be  murdered;  and  how,  half-mad, 
he  was  springing  out  to  stand  beside  him,  when  Harry, 
as  quick  as  thought,  knocked  him  down  before  he  could 
betray  himself;  and  then  Jacques,  who  was  standing  by 
and  saw  it,  helped  him  carry  him  here.  Oh,  my  dear, 
how  much  we  owe  to  him! 

"And  now.  Virginie,"  she  said,  turning  to  the  young- 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  215 

«st,  "I  must  have  a  good  look  at  you,  little  one — but  no, 
I  mustn't  call  you  little  one  any  longer,  for  you  are 
already  almost  as  tall  as  I  am.  My  child,  how  you  have 
been  growing,  and  you  look  so  well !  Louise  must  have 
been  feeding  you  up.  Ah,  Louise,  how  much  we  all  owe 
to  you  too!  And  I  hear  you  are  going  to  leave  your 
comfortable  home  and  take  care  of  the  girls  on  their  jour- 
ney.    It  was  such  a  comfort  to  me  when  Harry  told  me!" 

"I  could  not  let  them  go  alone,  mademoiselle,"  the 
old  woman  said  simply,  "it  was  only  my  duty.  Beside, 
what  should  I  do  in  Paris  with  all  my  children  in 
England?" 

"Now,  my  dears,  take  your  things  off,"  Marie  said. 
"I  will  just  run  in  and  see  how  Victor  is  getting  on. 
Harry  went  straight  in  to  him,  and  I  want  to  know 
whether  Victor  recognized  him."' 


216  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

NANTES. 

Hakry  was  very  pleased  to  see  a  look  of  recognition  on 
Victor's  face  as  he  came  up  to  the  side  of  his  couch. 

"Well,  Victor,"  he  said  cheerfully,  "I  am  glad  to  see 
you  looking  more  like  yourself  again." 

Victor  nodded  assent,  and  his  hand  feebly  returned  the 
pressure  of  Harry's. 

"I  cannot  understand  it,"  he  said,  after  a  pause.  "I 
seem  to  be  in  a  dream ;  but  it  is  true  Marie  is  here,  isn't 
it?" 

"Oh,  yes!  She  is  chatting  now  with  her  sisters, 
Jeanne  and  Virginie,  you  know." 

"And  why  am  I  here?"  Victor  asked,  looking  round 
the  room.     "Marie  tells  me  not  to  ask  questions." 

"No.  There  will  be  plenty  of  time  for  that  afterward, 
Victor.  It  is  all  simple  enough.  You  were  out  with 
me,  and  there  was  an  accident,  and  you  got  hurt.  So  I 
and  a  workman  who  was  passing  carried  you  into  his 
house,  and  he  and  his  wife  have  been  taking  care  of  you. 
You  have  been  very  ill,  but  you  are  getting  on  better 
now.  Marie  has  come  to  nurse  you,  and  she  won't  leave 
you  until  you  are  quite  well.  Now,  I  think  that's 
enough  for  you,  and  the  doctor  would  be  very  angry  if 
he  knew  I  had  told  you  so  much,  because  he  said  you 
were  not  to  bother  yourself  about  things  at  all,  but  just 
to  sleep  as  much  as  you  can,  and  eat  as  much  as  you  can, 
and  listen  to  Marie  talking  and  reading  to  you,  and  not 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  211 

trouble  your  brain  in  any  way,  because  it's  your  brain 
that  has  gone  wrong,  and  any  thinking  will  be  very  bad 
for  it." 

This  explanation  seemed  satisfactory  to  Victor,  who 
soon  after  dozed  off  to  sleep,  and  Harry  joined  the  party 
in  Marie's  sitting-room. 

"Oh,  if  I  could  but  keep  them  here  with  me,  Harry, 
what  a  comfort  it  would  be!" 

"I  know  that  it  would,  Marie;  but  it  is  too  dangerous. 
You  know  they  were  denounced  at  Louise  Moulin 's. 
Already  there  is  risk  enough  in  you  and  Victor  being 
here.  The  search  for  Koyalists  does  not  relax ;  indeed  it 
seems  to  become  more  keen  every  day.  Victor's  extreme 
illness  is  your  best  safeguard.  The  neighbors  have  heard 
that  Jacques  has  had  a  fellow-workman  dangerously  ill 
for  some  time,  and  Victor  can  no  longer  be  looked 
upon  as  a  stranger  to  be  suspected,  while  your  coming 
here  to  help  nurse  him  will  seem  so  natural  a  step  that  it 
will  excite  no  comment.  But  any  fresh  addition  of  num- 
bers would  be  sure  to  give  rise  to  talk,  and  you  would 
have  a  commissary  of  the  Commune  here  in  no  time  to 
make  inquiries,  and  to  ask  for  your  papers  of  domicile." 

"Yes,  I  know  that  it  would  be  too  dangerous  to  risk," 
Marie  agreed;  "but  I  tremble  at  the  thought  of  their 
journey." 

"I  have  every  hope  that  we  shall  get  through  safely," 
Harry  said.  "I  have  some  good  news  I  have  not  yet 
told  you.  I  have  received  a  paper  from  Robespierre  stat- 
ing that  I  have  been  his  secretary,  and  recommending  us 
all  to  the  authorities,  so  that  we  can  dispense  with  the 
ordinary  papers  which  they  would  otherwise  ask  for." 

"That  is  good  news,  indeed,  Harry,"  Marie  said. 
"That  relieves  me  of  half  my  anxiety.  Once  on  the  sea- 
coast  it  will  be  comparatively  easy  to   get  a  passage  to 


SIS  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERMOR. 

England.  My  dear  Harry,  you  surprise  me  more  every 
day,  and  I  am  ashamed  to  think  that  when  our  dear 
father  and  mother  first  told  me  that  they  had  accepted 
your  noble  offer  to  look  after  us  I  was  inclined  in  my 
heart  to  think  that  such  protection  would  be  of  little  use. 
You  see  I  confess,  Harry,  and  you  know  that  is  halfway 
to  forgiveness." 

'''There  is  nothing  either  to  confess  or  forgive,"  Harry 
said  with  a  smile.  "It  was  perfectly  natural  for  you  to 
think  that  a  lad  of  eighteen  was  a  slender  reed  to  lean  on 
in  the  time  of  trouble  and  danger,  and  that  it  was  only 
by  a  lucky  accident — for  my  saving  Eobespierre's  life 
was  but  an  accident — that  I  have  been  enabled  to  be  of 
use  to  you,  and  that  I  have  now  a  pass  which  will  enable 
me  to  take  your  sisters  with  comparative  safety  as  far  as 
Nantes.  Had  it  not  been  for  that  I  could  have  done  little 
indeed  to  aid  you." 

"You  must  not  say  so,  Harry.  You  are  too  modest. 
Beside,  was  it  not  your  quickness  that  saved  Victor? 
No,  we  owe  you  everything,  and  disclaimers  are  only 
thrown  away.  As  for  me,  I  feel  quite  jealous  of  Jeanne's 
superior  perspicacity,  for  she  trusted  you  absolutely  from 
the  first." 

"It  has  nothing  to  do  with  perspicacity,"  Jeanne  said. 
"Harry  saved  my  life  from  that  dreadful  dog,  and  after 
that  I  knew  if  there  was  danger  he  would  be  able  to  get 
us  out  of  it.  That  is,  if  it  were  possible  for  any  one  to 
do  so." 

"I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  justify  your  trust,  Jeanne, 
and  arrive  safely  with  you  at  my  father's  house.  I  can 
promise  you  the  warmest  of  welcomes  from  my  mother 
and  sisters.  I  fear  they  must  long  since  have  given  me 
up  for  dead.  I  shall  be  like  a  shipwrecked  mariner  who 
has  been  cast  upon  an  island  and  given  up  as  lost.     But 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  219 

my  father  always  used  to  say  that  if  I  was  a  first  rate 
hand  at  getting  into  scrapes,  I  was  equally  good  at  get- 
ting out  of  them  again;  and  I  don't  think  they  will  have 
quite  despaired  of  seeing  me  again,  especially  as  they 
know,  by  the  last  letters  I  sent  them,  that  you  all  said  I 
could  speak  French  well  enough  to  pass  anywhere  as  a 
native. ' ' 

"How  surprised  they  will  be  at  your  arriving  with  two- 
girls  and  Louise!"  Virginie  said. 

"They  will  be  pleased  more  than  surprised,"  Harry 
replied.  "I  have  written  so  much  about  you  in  my  let- 
ters that  the  girls  and  my  mother  will  be  delighted  to  see 
you." 

"Beside,"  Jeanne  added,  "the  boys  will  have  told 
them  you  are  waiting  behind  with  us,  so  they  will  not  be 
so  surprised  as  they  would  otherwise  have  been.  But  it 
will  be  funny,  arriving  among  people  who  don't  speak  a 
word  of  our  language." 

"You  will  soon  be  at  home  with  them,"  said  Harry 
reassuringly.  "Jenny  and  Kate  are  just  about  your 
ages,  and  I  expect  they  will  have  grown  so  I  shall  hardly 
know  them.  It  is  nearly  three  years  now  since  I  left 
them,  and  I  have  to  look  at  you  to  assure  myself  that 
Jenny  will  have  grown  almost  into  a  young  woman.  Now 
I  shall  go  out  for  a  bit,  and  leave  you  to  chat  together. 

"You  need  not  fidget  about  Victor,  Marie.  Elise  is 
with  him,  and  will  come  and  let  you  know  if  he  wakes; 
but  I  hope  that  he  has  gone  off  fairly  to  sleep  for  the 
night.  He  knew  me,  and  I  think  I  have  put  his  mind  at 
rest  a  little  as  to  how  he  came  here.  I  have  told  him  it 
was  an  accident  in  the  street,  and  that  we  brought  him 
in  here,  and  he  has  been  too  ill  since  to  be  moved.  I 
don't  think  he  will  ask  any  more  questions.  If  I  were 
you  I  would,  while  nursing,  resume  the  dress  you  came 


220  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

here  in.  It  will  be  less  puzzling  to  him  than  the  one  you 
are  wearing  now." 

The  little  party  started  the  next  morning  at  daylight, 
and  at  the  very  first  village  they  came  to  found  how  strict 
was  the  watch  upon  persons  leaving  Paris,  and  had  rea- 
son to  congratulate  themselves  upon  the  possession  of 
Robespierre's  safe-conduct.  No  sooner  had  they  sat  down 
in  the  village  cabaret  to  breakfast  than  an  official  with  a 
red  scarf  presented  himself,  and  asked  them  who  they 
were  and  where  they  were  going.  The  production  of  the 
document  at  once  satisfied  him;  and,  indeed,  he  im- 
mediately addressed  the  young  man  in  somewhat  shabby 
garments,  who  had  the  honor  of  being  secretary  to  the 
great  man,  in  tones  of  the  greatest  respect. 

Virgin ie  at  present  was  shy  and  awkward  in  her  attire 
as  a  boy,  and  indeed  had  there  been  time  the  night  before 
to  procure  a  disguise  for  her  as  a  girl  it  would  have  been 
done,  although  Harry's  opinion  that  it  would  attract  less 
attention  for  her  to  travel  as  a  boy  was  unchanged;  but 
he  would  have  given  way  had  it  been  possible  to  make 
the  change.  As  any  delay,  however,  would  certainly  be 
dangerous,  the  original  plan  was  adhered  to. 

Marie  had  cut  her  sister's  hair  short,  and  no  one  would 
have  suspected  from  her  appearance  that  Virginie  was 
not  what  she  seemed,  a  good-looking  boy  of  some  thir- 
teen years  old.  With  their  bundles  in  their  hands  they 
trudged  along  the  road,  and  stopped  for  the  night  at  a 
village  about  twelve  miles  out  of  Paris.  After  having 
again  satisfied  the  authorities  by  the  production  of  the 
pass,  Harry  made  inquiries,  and  the  next  morning  went 
two  miles  away  to  a  farmhouse,  where  there  was,  he 
heard,  a  cart  and  horse  to  be  disposed  of. 

After  much  haggling  over  terms — since  to  give  the  sum 
that  was  first  asked  would  have  excited  surprise,  and  per- 


MBilllll 


mm 


Reign  of  T.l  The  Journey  to  Nantes.— Page  221 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  221 

haps  suspicion — Harry  became  the  possessor  of  the  horse 
and  cart,  drove  triumphantly  back  to  the  village,  and 
having  stowed  Louise  and  the  two  girls  on  some  straw  in 
the  bottom  of  the  cart,  proceeded  on  the  journey. 

They  met  with  no  adventure  whatever  on  the  journey 
to  Nantes,  which  was  performed  in  ten  days.  The 
weather  was  bitterly  cold.  Although  it  was  now  well  on 
in  March  the  snow  lay  deep  on  the  ground ;  but  the  girls 
were  well  wrapped  up,  and  the  cart  was  filled  with  straw, 
which  helped  to  keep  them  warm.  Harry  walked  for  the 
most  part  by  the  side  of  the  horse's  head,  for  they  could 
only  proceed  at  footpace;  but  he  sometimes  climbed  up 
and  took  the  reins,  the  better  to  chat  with  the  girls  and 
keep  up  their  spirits.  There  was  no  occasion  for  this  in 
the  case  of  Jeanne,  but  Virginie  often  gave  way  and  cried 
bitterly,  and  the  old  nurse  suffered  greatly  from  the  cold 
in  spite  of  her  warm  wraps. 

On  arriving  at  Nantes  Harry  proceeded  first  to  the 
mayor,  and  on  producing  Robespierre's  document  re- 
ceived a  permit  to  lodge  in  the  town.  He  then  looked 
for  apartments  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  river,  and 
when  he  had  obtained  them  disposed  of  the  horse  and 
cart.  The  statement  that  he  was  Robespierre's  secre- 
tary at  once  secured  for  him  much  attention  from  the 
authorities,  and  he  was  invited  to  become  a  member  of 
the  Revolutionary  Committee  during  his  stay  in  the  town, 
in  order  that  he  might  see  for  himself  with  what  zeal  the 
instructions  received  from  Paris  for  the  extermination  of 
the  Royalists  were  being  carried  out. 

This  offer  he  accepted,  as  it  would  enable  him  to  ob- 
tain information  of  all  that  was  going  on.  Had  it  not 
been  for  this  he  would  gladly  have  declined  the  honor, 
for  his  feelings  were  dailjr  harrowed  by  arrests  and  mas- 
sacres which  he  was  powerless  to  prevent,  for  he  did  not 


222  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

venture  to  raise  his  voice  on  the  side  of  mercy,  for  had 
he  done  so  it  would  have  been  certain  to  excite  suspicion. 
He  found  that,  horrible  as  were  the  atrocities  committed 
in  Paris,  they  were  even  surpassed  by  those  which  were 
enacted  in  the  provinces,  and  that  in  Nantes  in  particu- 
lar a  terrible  persecution  was  raging  under  the  direction 
of  Carrier,  who  had  been  sent  down  from  Paris  as  com- 
missioner from  the  Commune  there. 

Harry's  next  object  was  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
some  of  the  fishermen,  and  to  find  out  what  vessels  were 
engaged  in  smuggling  goods  across  to  England;  for  it 
was  in  one  of  these  alone  that  he  could  hope  to  cross  the 
Channel.  This,  however,  he  found  much  more  difficult 
than  he  had  expected. 

The  terror  was  universal.  The  news  of  the  execution 
of  the  king  had  heightened  the  dismay.  Massacres  were 
going  on  all  over  France.  The  lowest  ruffians  in  all  the 
great  towns  were  now  their  masters,  and  under  pretended 
accusations  were  wreaking  their  hate  upon  the  respect- 
able inhabitants.  Private  enmities  were  wiped  out  in 
blood.  None  were  too  high  or  too  low  to  be  denounced 
as  Koyalists,  and  denunciation  was  followed  as  a  matter 
of  course  by  a  mock  trial  and  execution.  Every  man 
distrusted  his  neighbor,  and  fear  caused  those  who 
most  loathed  and  hated  the  existing  regime  to  be  loudest 
in  their  advocacj*  of  it.  There  were  spies  everywhere — 
men  who  received  blood-money  for  every  victim  they 
denounced. 

Thus,  then,  Harry's  efforts  to  make  acquaintances 
among  the  sailors  met  with  very  slight  success.  He  was 
a  stranger,  and  that  was  sufficient  to  cause  distrust,  and 
ere  long  it  became  whispered  that  he  had  come  from 
Paris  with  special  authority  to  hasten  on  the  work  of 
extirpation  of  the  enemies  of  the  state.     Soon,  therefore, 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  223 

Harry  perceived  that  as  he  moved  along  the  quay  little 
groups  of  sailors  and  fishermen  talking  together  broke  up 
at  his  approach,  the  men  sauntering  off  to  the  "wine- 
shops, and  any  he  accosted  replied  civilly  indeed,  but 
with  embarrassment  and  restraint;  and  although  any 
questions  of  a  general  character  were  answered,  a  pro- 
found ignorance  was  manifested  upon  the  subject  upon 
which  he  wished  to  gain  information.  The  sailors  all 
seemed  to  know  that  occasionally  cargoes  of  spirits  were 
run  from  the  river  to  England,  but  none  could  name  any 
vessel  engaged  in  the  trade.  Harry  soon  perceived  that 
he  was  regarded  with  absolute  hostility,  and  one  day  one 
of  the  sailors  said  to  him  quietly : 

"Citizen,  I  am  a  good  sans-culotte,  and  I  warn  you 
you  had  best  not  come  down  the  river  after  dark,  for 
there  is  a  strong  feeling  against  you;  and  unless  you 
would  like  your  body  to  be  fished  out  of  the  river  with, 
half  a  dozen  knife-holes  in  it,  you  will  take  my  advice.'' 

Harry  began  to  feel  almost  crushed  under  his  respon- 
sibilities. His  attendance  at  the  Eevolutionary  Commit- 
tee tried  him  greatly.  He  made  no  progress  whatever 
in  his  efforts  to  obtain  a  passage;  and  to  add  to  his  trou- 
ble the  old  nurse,  who  had  been  much  exhausted  by  the 
change  from  her  usual  habits,  and  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather  on  her  journey,  instead  of  gaining  strength 
appeared  to  be  rapidly  losing  it,  and  was  forced  to  take 
to  her  bed.  The  terrible  events  in  Paris,  and  the  long 
strain  of  anxiety  as  to  the  safety  of  the  girls  and  the  fate 
of  Marie,  had  completely  exhausted  her  strength,  and 
the  last  six  months  had  aged  her  as  many  years.  Harry 
tried  hard  to  keep  up  his  appearance  of  hopefulness,  and 
to  cheer  the  girls;  but  Jeanne's  quick  eye  speedily  per- 
ceived the  change  in  him. 

"You  are  wearing  yourself  out,  Harry,"  she  said,  one 


224  -EV  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

evening  as  they  were  sitting  by  the  fire,  while  Virginia 
was  tending  Louise  in  the  next  room.  "I  can  see  it  in 
your  face.  It  is  of  no  use  your  trying  to  deceive  me. 
You  tell  us-  every  day  that  you  hope  soon  to  get  hold  of 
the  captain  of  a  boat  sailing  for  England;  but  I  know 
that  in  reality  you  are  making  no  progress.  All  those 
months  when  we  were  hoping  to  get  Marie  out  of  prison 
— though  it  seemed  next  to  impossible — you  told  us  not 
to  despair,  and  I  knew  you  did  not  despair  yourself;  but 
now  it  is  different.  I  am  sure  that  you  do  in  your  heart 
almost  give  up  hope.  Why  don't  you  trust  me,  Harry? 
I  may  not  be  able  to  do  much,  but  I  might  try  to  cheer 
you.  You  have  been  comforting  us  all  this  time.  Surely 
it  is  time  I  took  my  turn.     I  am  not  a  child  now. " 

"I  feel  like  one  just  at  present,"  Harry  said  unsteadily 
with  quivering  lips.  "I  feel  sometimes  as  if — as  we  used 
to  say  at  school — I  could  cry  for  twopence.  I  know, 
Jeanne,  I  can  trust  you,  and  it  isn't  because  I  doubted 
your  courage  that  I  have  not  told  you  exactly  how  things 
are  going  on,  but  because  it  is  entirely  upon  you  now 
that  Louise  and  Virginie  have  to  depend,  and  I  do  not 
wish  to  put  any  more  weight  on  your  shoulders;  but  it 
will  be  a  relief  to  me  to  tell  you  exactly  how  we  stand." 

Harry  then  told  her  how  completely  he  had  failed  with 
the  sailors,  and  how  an  actual  feeling  of  hostility  against 
him  had  arisen. 

"I  think  I  could  have  stood  that,  Jeanne;  but  it  is  that 
terrible  committee  that  tries  me.  It  is  so  awful  hearing 
these  fiends  marking  out  their  victims  and  exulting  over 
their  murder,  that  at  times  I  feel  tempted  to  throw 
myself  upon  some  of  them  and  strangle  them." 

"It  must  be  dreadful,  Harry,"  Jeanne  said  soothingly. 
"Will  it  not  be  possible  for  you  to  give  out  that  you 
are  ill,  and   so   absent   yourself  for  a  time   from   their 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  £25 

meetings?  I  ain  sure  you  look  ill — ill  enough  for  any- 
thing. As  to  the  sailors,  do  not  let  that  worry  you. 
Even  if  you  could  hear  of  a  ship  at  present  it  would  be 
of  no  use.  I  couldn't  leave  Louise;  she  seems  to  me  to 
be  getting  worse  and  worse,  and  the  doctor  you  called  in 
three  days  ago  thinks  so  too.  I  can  see  it  by  his  face. 
I  think  he  is  a  good  man.  The  woman  whose  sick  child 
I  sat  up  with  last  night  tells  me  the  poor  all  love  him. 
I  am  sure  he  guesses  that  we  are  not  what  we  seem.  He 
said  this  morning  to  me : 

'  'I  cannot  do  much  for  your  grandmother.  It  is  a 
general  break-up.  I  have  many  cases  like  it  of  old 
people  and  women  upon  whom  the  anxiety  of  the  times 
has  told.  Do  not  worry  yourself  with  watching,  child. 
She  will  sleep  quietly,  and  will  not  need  attendance.  If 
you  don't  mind  I  shall  have  you  on  my  hands.  Anxiety 
affects  the  young  as  well  as  the  old." 

"At  any  rate,  you  see,  we  cannot  think  of  leaving  here 
at  present.  Louise  has  risked  everything  for  us.  It  ia 
quite  impossible  for  us  to  leave  her  now,  so  do  not  let 
that  worry  you.  We  are  all  in  God's  hands,  Harry,  and 
we  must  wait  patiently  what  He  may  send  us." 

"We  will  wait  patiently,"  Harry  said.  "I  feel  better 
now,  Jeanne,  and  you  shall  not  see  me  give  way  again. 
What  has  been  worrying  me  most  is  the  thought  that  it 
would  have  been  wiser  to  have  carried  out  some  other 
plan — to  have  put  you  and  Virginie,  for  instance,  in 
some  farmhouse  not  far  from  Paris,  and  for  you  to  have 
waited  there  till  the  storm  blew  over." 

"You  must  never  think  that,  Harry, "  Jeanne  said 
earnestly.  "You  know  we  all  talked  it  over  dozens  of 
times,  Louise  and  all  of  us,  and  we  agreed  that  this  was 
our  best  chance,  arid  Marie  when  she  came  out  quite 
thought  so  too.     So,  whatever  comes,  you  must  not  blame 


226  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

yourself  in  the  slightest.  Wherever  we  were  we  were  in 
danger,  and  might  have  been  denounced." 

"I  arranged  it  all,  Jeanne.  I  have  the  responsibility 
of  your  being  here." 

"And  to  an  equal  extent  [you  would  have  had  the  re- 
sponsibility of  our  being  anywhere  else.  So  it  is  of  no  use 
letting  that  trouble  you.  Now,  as  to  the  sailors,  you 
know  I  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  of  the  women 
in  our  street.  Some  of  them  are  sailors'  wives,  and  pos- 
sibly through  them  I  may  be  able  to  hear  about  ships. 
At  any  rate  I  could  try." 

"Perhaps  you  could,  Jeanne;  but  be  very,  very  care- 
ful what  questions  you  put,  or  you  might  be  betrayed." 

"I  don't  think  there  is  much  fear  of  that,  Harry.  The 
women  are  more  outspoken  than  the  men.  Some  of  them 
are  with  what  they  call  the  people ;  but  it  is  clear  that 
others  are  quite  the  other  way.  You  see  trade  has  been 
almost  stopped,  and  there  is  great  suffering  among  the 
sailors  and  their  families.  Of  course  I  have  been  very 
careful  not  to  seem  to  have  more  money  than  other 
people ;  but  I  have  been  able  to  make  soups  and  things — 
I  have  learned  to  be  quite  a  cook  from  seeing  Louise  at 
work — and  I  take  them  to  those  that  are  very  poor, 
especially  if  they  have  children  ill,  and  I  think  I  have 
won  some  of  their  hearts." 

"You  win  everyone's  heart  who  comes  near  you, 
Jeanne,  I  think,"  Harry  said  earnestly. 

Jeanne  flushed  a  rosy  red,  but  said  with  a  laugh : 

"Now,  Harry,  you  are  turning  flatterer.  We  are  not 
at  the  chateau  now,  sir,  so  your  pretty  speeches  are  quite 
thrown  away;  and  now  I  shall  go  and  take  Virginie's 
place  and  send  her  in  to  you." 

And  so  another  month  went  by,  and  then  the  old  nurse 
quietly  passed  away.     She  was  buried,  to  the  girl's  great 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  227 

grief,  without  any  religious  ceremony,  for  the  priests 
were  all  in  hiding  or  had  been  murdered,  and  France  had 
solemnly  renounced  God  and  placed  Beason  on  His 
throne. 

In  the  meantime  Jeanne  had  been  steadily  carrying  on 
her  work  among  her  poorer  neighbors,  sitting  up  at 
night  with  sick  children,  and  supplying  food  to  starving 
little  ones,  saying  quietly  in  reply  to  the  words  of  grati- 
tude of  the  women : 

"My  grandmother  has  laid  by  savings  during  her  long 
years  of  service.  She  will  not  want  it  long,  and  we  are 
old  enough  to  work  for  ourselves;  beside,  our  brother 
Henri  will  take  care  of  us.  So  we  are  glad  to  be  able  to 
help  those  who  need  it." 

While  she  worked  she  kept  her  ears  open,  and  from  the 
talk  of  the  women  learned  that  the  husbands  of  one  or 
two  of  them  were  employed  in  vessels  engaged  in  carry- 
ing on  smuggling  operations  with  England.  A  few  days 
after  the  death  of  Louise  one  of  these  women,  whose 
child  Jeanne  had  helped  to  nurse  through  a  fever  and 
had  brought  round  by  keeping  it  well  supplied  with  good 
food,  exclaimed: 

"Oh,  how  much  we  owe  you,  mademoiselle,  for  your 
goodness!" 

"You  must  not  call  me  mademoiselle,"  Jeanne  said, 
shaking  her  head.  "It  would  do  you  harm  and  me  too  if 
it  were  heard." 

"It  comes  so  natural, "  the  woman  said  with  a  sigh. 
"I  was  in  service  once  in  a  good  family  before  I  married 
Adolphe.  But  I  know  that  you  are  not  one  of  those 
people  who  say  there  is  no  God,  because  I  saw  you  kneel 
down  and  pray  by  Julie's  bed  when  you  thought  I  was 
asleep.  I  expect  Adolphe  home  in  a  day  or  two.  The  poor 
fellow  will  be  wild  with  delight  when  he  sees  the  little 


228  -EV  THE  BEIGN  OF  TEBBOB. 

one  on  its  feet  again.  "When  he  went  away  a  fortnight 
ago  he  did  not  expect  ever  to  see  her  alive  again,  and  it 
almost  broke  his  heart.  But  what  was  he  to  do?  There 
are  so  many  men  out  of  work  that  if  he  had  not  sailed  in 
the  lugger  there  would  have  been  scores  to  take  his  place, 
and  he  might  not  perhaps  have  been  taken  on  again." 

"He  has  been  to  England,  has  he  not?"  Jeanne  asked. 

"Yes;  the  lugger  carries  silks  and  brandy.  It  is  a 
dangerous  trade,  for  the  Channel  is  swarming  with 
English  cruisers.  But  what  is  he  to  do? — one  must 
live." 

"Is  your  husband  infavorof  the  new  state  of  things?" 
Jeanne  asked. 

"Not  in  his  heart,  mademoiselle,  any  more  than  I  am, 
but  he  holds  his  tongue.  Most  of  the  sailors  in  the  port 
hate  these  murdering  tyrants  of  ours;  but  what  can  we 
do?" 

"Well,  Marthe,  I  am  sure  I  can  trust  you,  and  your 
husband  can  help  me  if  he  will." 

"Surely  you  can  trust  me,"  the  woman  said.  "I 
would  lay  down  my  life  for  you,  and  I  know  Adolphe 
would  do  so  too  when  he  knows  what  you  have  done  for 
us." 

"Well,  then,  Marthe,  I  and  my  sister  and  my  brother 
Henri  are  anxious  to  be  taken  over  to  England.  We  are 
ready  to  pay  well  for  a  passage,  but  we  have  not  known 
how  to  set  about  it." 

"I  thought  it  might  be  that, "  Marthe  said  quietly; 
"for  any  one  who  knows  the  ways  of  gentlefolk,  as  I  do, 
could  see  with  half  an  eye  that  you  are  not  one  of  us. 
But  they  say,  mademoiselle,  that  your  brother  is  a  friend 
of  Robespierre,  and  that  he  is  one  of  the  committee  here. " 

"He  is  only  pretending,  Marthe,  in  order  that  no  sus- 
picion should  fall  upon  us.     But  he  finds  that  the  sailors 


II?  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  229 

distrust  him,  and  lie  cannot  get  to  speak  to  them  about 
taking  a  passage,  so  I  thought  I  would  speak  to  you,  and 
you  can  tell  me  when  a  boat  is  sailing  and  who  is  her 
captain." 

"Adolphe  will  manage  all  that  for  you,  never  fear,"  the 
woman  said.  "I  know  that  niany  a  poor  soul  has  been 
hidden  away  on  board  the  smuggler's  craft  and  got 
safely  out  of  the  country ;  but  of  course  it's  a  risk,  for  it 
is  death  to  assist  any  of  the  suspects.  Still  the  sailors 
are  ready  to  run  the  risk,  and  indeed  they  haven't  much 
fear  of  the  consequences  if  they  are  caught,  for  the  sailor 
population  here  are  very  strong,  and  they  would  not 
stand  quietly  by  and  see  some  of  their  own  class  treated 
as  if  they  had  done  some  great  crime  merely  because  they 
were  earning  a  few  pounds  by  running  passengers  across 
to  England.  "Why,  they  have  done  it  from  father  to  son 
as  far  as  they  can  recollect,  for  there  has  never  been  a 
time  yet  when  there  were  not  people  who  wanted  to  pass 
from  France  to  England  and  from  England  to  Franca 
without  asking  the  leave  of  the  authorities.  I  think  it 
can  be  managed,  mademoiselle,  especially  as  you  say  you 
can  afford  to  pay,  for  if  one  won't  take  you  another  will. 
Trade  is  so  bad  that  there  are  scores  of  men  would  start 
in  their  fishing  boats  for  a  voyage  across  the  Channel  in 
the  hope  of  getting  food  for  their  wives  and  families." 

"I  was  sure  it  was  so,  Marthe,  but  it  was  so  difficult  to 
set  about  it.  Everyone  is  afraid  of  spies,  and  it  needs 
some  one  to  warrant  that  we  are  not  trying  to  draw  them 
into  a  snare,  before  any  one  will  listen.  If  your  husband 
will  but  take  the  matter  up,  I  have  no  doubt  it  can  be 
managed." 

"Set  your  mind  at  ease;  the  thing  is  as  good  as  done. 
I  tell  you  there  are  scores  of  men  ready  to  undertake  the 
job  when  they  know  it  is  a  straightforward  one." 


Wk 


$30  -DT  THE  BEIQN  OF  1ERROR. 

"That  is  good  news  indeed,  Jeanne,"  Harry  said,  when 
the  girl  told  him  of  the  conversation.  "That  does  seem 
a  way  out  of  our  difficulties.  I  felt  sure  you  would  be 
able  to  manage  it,  sooner  or  later,  among  the  poor  people 
you  have  been  so  good  to.  Hurry  it  on  as  much  as  you 
can,  Jeanne.  I  feel  that  our  position  is  getting  more 
and  more  dangerous.  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  play  my  part 
sufficiently  well.  I  am  not  forward  enough  in  their  vio- 
lent councils.  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  vote  ^for  pro- 
posals for  massacre  when  there  is  any  division  among 
them.  I  fear  that  some  have  suspicions.  I  have  been 
asked  questions  lately  as  to  why  I  am  staying  here,  and 
why  I  have  come.  I  have  been  thinking  for  the  last 
few  days  whether  it  would  not  be  better  for  us  to  make 
our  way  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  try  and  bribe 
some  fishermen  in  the  villages  there  who  would  not  have 
that  feeling  against  me  that  the  men  here  have,  to  take 
us  to  sea,  or  if  that  could  not  be  managed,  to  get  on 
board  some  little  fishing  boat  at  night  and  sail  off  by 
ourselves  in  the  hopes  of  being  picked  up  by  an  English 
cruiser." 

Harry  indeed  had  for  some  days  been  feeling  that  dan- 
ger was  thickening  round  him.  He  had  noticed  angry 
glances  cast  at  him  by  the  more  violent  of  the  commit- 
tee, and  had  caught  sentences  expressing  doubt  whether 
he  had  really  been  Eobespierre's  secretary.  That  very 
evening  as  he  came  out  from  the  meeting  he  heard  one 
man  say  to  another : 

"I  tell  you  he  may  have  stolen  it,  and  perhaps  killed 
the  citizen  who  bore  it.  I  believe  he  is  a  cursed  aristo- 
crat. I  tell  you  I  shall  watch  him.  He  has  got  some 
women  with  him;  the  mayor,  who  saw  the  paper,  told 
me  so.  I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  get  to  the  bottom 
of  the  affair,  and  we  will  make  short  work  with  him  if 
we  find  things  are  as  I  believe." 


m  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  231 

Harry  felt,  therefore,  that  the  danger  was  even  more 
urgent  than  he  had  expressed  it  to  Jeanne,  and  he  had 
returned  intending  to  propose  immediate  flight  had  not 
Jeanne  been  beforehand  with  her  news.  Even  now  he 
hesitated  whether  even  a  day's  delay  might  not  ruin 
them. 

"Have  you  told  me  all,  Harry?"  Jeanne  asked. 

"Not  quite  all,  Jeanne.  I  was  just  thinking  it  over. 
I  fear  the  danger  is  even  more  pressing  than  I  have 
said;"  and  he  repeated  the  sentences  he  had  overheard. 
"Even  now,"  he  said,  "that  fellow  may  be  watching  out- 
side or  making  inquiries  about  you.  He  will  hear 
nothing  but  praise ;  but  that  very  praise  may  cause  him 
to  doubt  still  more  that  you  are  not  what  you  seem." 

"But  why  can  we  not  run  away  at  once?"  Virginie 
said.  "Why  should  we  wait  here  till  they  come  and  take 
us  and  carry  us  away  and  kill  us?" 

"That  is  what  I  was  thinking  when  I  came  home,  Vir- 
ginie; but  the  risk  of  trying  to  escape  in  a  fishing  boat 
by  ourselves  would  be  tremendous.  You  see,  although  I 
have  gone  out  sailing  sometimes  on  the  river  in  England, 
I  know  very  little  about  'it,  and  although  we  might  be 
picked  up  by  an  English  ship,  «it  would  be  much  more 
likely  that  we  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  one  of  the 
French  gunboats.  So  I  look  upon  that  as  a  desperate 
step,  to  be  taken  only  at  the  last  moment.  And  now  that 
Jeanne  seems  to  have  arranged  a  safe  plan,  I  do  not  like 
trying  such  a  wild  scheme.  A  week  now,  and  perhaps 
all  might  be  arranged ;  but  the  question  is — Have  we  a 
week?  have  we  more  than  twenty-four  hours?  "What  do 
you  think,  Jeanne?" 

"I  do  not  see  what  is  best  to  do  yet,"  Jeanne  said, 
looking  steadily  in  the  fire.  "It  is  a  terrible  thing  to 
have  to  decide;  but  I  see  we   must  decide. "     She  sat  for 


232  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

five  minutes  without  speaking,  and  then  taking  down  her 
cloak  from  the  peg  on  which  it  hung  she  said:  "I  will 
go  round  to  Marthe  Pichon  again  and  tell  her  we  are  all 
so  anxious  for  each  other,  that  I  don't  think  we  can 
judge  what  is  really  the  best.  Marthe  will  see  things 
more  clearly  and  will  be  able  to  advise  us." 

"Yes,  that  will  be  the  best  plan." 

It  was  three-quarters  of  an  hour  before  she  returned. 

"lean  see  you  have  a  plan, "  Harry  said  as  he  saw 
that  there  was  a  look  of  brightness  and  hope  on 
Jeanne's  face. 

"Yes,  I  have  a  plan,  and  a  good  one;  that  is  to  say, 
Marthe  has.  I  told  her  all  about  it,  and  she  said  directly 
that  we  must  be  hidden  somewhere  till  her  husband  can 
arrange  for  us  to  sail.  I  said,  of  course,  that  was  what 
was  wanted,  but  how  could  it  be  managed?  So  she 
thought  it  over,  and  we  have  quite  arranged  it.  She  has 
a  sister  who  lives  in  a  fishing  village  four  miles  down 
the  river.  She  will  go  over  there  to-morrow  and  arrange 
with  them  to  take  us,  and  will  get  some  fisher-girls' 
dresses  for  us.  She  says  she  is  sure  her  sister  will  take 
us,  for  she  was  over  here  yesterday  and  heard  about  the 
child  getting  better,  and  Marthe  told  her  all  sorts  of 
nonsense  about  what  I  had  done  for  it.  She  thinks  we 
shall  be  quite  safe  there,  for  there  are  only  six  or  seven 
houses,  and  no  one  but  fishermen  live  there.  She  pro- 
poses that  you  shall  be  dressed  up  in  some  of  her  hus- 
band's clothes,  and  shall  go  out  fishing  with  her  sister's 
husband.     What  do  you  think  of  that,  Harry?" 

"Splendid,  Jeanne!     Can  the  husband  be  trusted  too?" 

"Oh,  yes,  she  says  so.  He  is  an  honest  man,  she  says; 
and  beside,  they  are  very  poor,  and  a  little  money  will 
be  a  great  help  to  them.  She  says  she  would  not  pro- 
pose it  unless  she  was  quite,  quite  sure  of  t«hera,  for  if 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR,  233 

anything  happened  to  us  she  would  be  a  wretched  woman 
all  her  life." 

"Thank  God,"  Harry  said  fervently,  "that  one  sees 
daylight  at  last !  I  have  felt  so  helpless  lately.  Dangers 
seemed  to  be  thickening  round  you,  and  I  could  do 
nothing;  and  now,  Jeanne,  you  have  found  a  way  out  for 
us  where  I  never  should  have  found  one  for  myself." 

"It  is  God  who  has  done  it,  not  me,"  Jeanne  said 
reverently.  "I  did  not  begin  to  go  about  among  the 
poor  people  here  with  any  thought  of  making  friends, 
but  because  they  were  so  poor  and  miserable ;  but  He 
must  have  put  it  into  my  heart  to  do  it,  in  order  that  a 
way  of  escape  might  be  made  for  us." 


234  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTEK    XIII. 

IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  REDS. 

The  next  morning  Harry  went  out,  as  usual,  ininie'di- 
ately  after  breakfast,  for  a  walk  for  two  or  three  hours. 
This  he  did  partly  to  allow  the  girls  to  tidy  the  rooms, 
an  office  which  had  naturally  fallen  to  them  since  the 
commencement  of  their  old  nurse's  illness;  partly  be- 
cause in  active  exercise  he  found  some  relief  from  the 
burden  of  his  anxieties.  To-day  he  felt  more  anxious 
than  ever.  The  conversation  with  Marthe  Pichon  had 
afforded  'good  grounds  of  hope  that  in  a  day  or  two  a 
fair  prospect  of  escape  would  be  open  to  them;  but  this 
only  seemed  to  make  the  present  anxiety  all  the  sharper. 
The  woman  had  promised  to  get  disguises,  and  make  the 
arrangements  with  her  friends  at  the  village  below  during 
the  course  of  the  day,  and  by  night,  if  all  went  well,  they 
might  start.  He  told  himself  that  he  had  no  reason  for 
supposing  that  the  vague  suspicions  which  were,  he 
knew,  afloat  would  suddenly  be  converted  into  action. 
He  determined  to  take  his  place  that  afternoon  with  the 
committee  as  usual,  and  endeavor  to  allay  their  doubts 
by  assuming  a  violent  attitude.  He  felt,  however,  that 
the  day  would  be  more  trying  than  any  he  had  passed, 
and  that  he  would  give  a  great  deal  if  the  next  twent3r- 
four  hours  were  over.  Scarcely  heeding  where  he 
walked  he  was  out  longer  than  usual,  and  it  was  nearly 
three  hours  after  he  started  before  he  approached  the 
town  again  by  the  road  along  the  river  bank.     Just  when 


m  THE!  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  235 

be  came  to  the  first  bouses  a  ■woman,  who  was  standing 
there  knitting,  came  up  to  bim. 

"You  are  the  citizen  who  lives  with  his  two  sisters 
next  door  to  La  Mere  Pichon,  are  you  not?" 

Harry  assented  hurriedly,  with  a  strange  presentiment 
of  evil. 

"La  Mere  Pichon  bids  me  tell  you,"  the  woman  said, 
"that  half  an  hour  after  you  started  this  morning  six 
men,  with  an  official  with  the  red  scarf,  came  to  the  house 
and  arrested  your  sisters  and  carried  them  off.  They 
are  watching  there  for  your  return." 

Harry  staggered  as  if  struck  with  a  blow. 

"Poor  young  man,"  the  woman  said  compassionately, 
seeing  the  ghastly  pallor  of  his  face,  "but  I  pity  you. 
The  street  is  furious  that  these  wretches  should  have 
carried  off  that  sweet  young  creature,  who  was  so  good 
to  everyone;  but  what  could  we  do?  We  hissed  the 
men,  and  we  would  have  pelted  them  had  we  not  been 
afraid  of  striking  your  sisters.  When  they  had  gone  La 
Mere  Pichon  said  to  some  of  us,  'The  best  thing  we  can 
do  for  that  angel  is  to  save  her  brother  from  being  caught 
also.  So  do  one  of  you  post  yourself  on  each  road  lead- 
ing to  the  house,  and  warn  him  in  time.  He  generally 
walks  beyond  the  town.  I  heard  one  of  his  sisters  say 
so. '  So  some  of  us  came  out  on  all  the  roads,  and  two 
remained,  one  at  each  end  of  the  street,  in  case  we  should 
miss  you.  La  Mere  said  wrhoever  met  you  was  to  tell 
you  to  be  on  this  road,  by  the  river,  just  outside  the 
town,  after  dark,  and  she  would  bring  you  some  clothes, 
and  take  you  where  you  would  be  safe ;  but  till  then  you 
were  to  go  away  again,  and  keep  far  from  the  town.  Do 
you  understand?"  she  asked,  laying  her  hand  on  his  arm, 
for  he  seemed  dazed  and  stupid  with  the  shock  he  had 
received. 


236  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"I  understand,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  "Thank-  you 
all  for  your  warning.     Yes,  I  will  be  here  this  evening." 

So  saying  he  turned  and  moved  away,  walking  un- 
steadily as  if  he  were  drunk.  The  woman  looked  after 
him  pityingly,  and  then,  shaking  her  head  and  muttering 
execrations  against  the  "Beds, "  she  made  her  way  home 
to  tell  Mere  Pichon  that  she  had  fulfilled  her  mission. 

Harry  walked  on  slowly  until  some  distance  from  the 
town,  and  then  threw  himself  down  on  a  bank  by  the 
road  and  lay  for  a  time  silent  and  despairing.  At  last 
tears  came  to  his  relief,  and  his  broad  shoulders  shook 
with  a  passion  of  sobbing  to  think  that  just  at  the 
moment  when  a  chance  of  escape  was  open — just  when 
all  the  dangers  seemed  nearly  past — the  girls  should  have 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  he  not  there  to 
strike  a  blow  in  their  defense.  To  think  of  Jeanne — his 
bright,  fearless  Jeanne — and  clinging  little  Virginie,  in 
the  hands  of  these  human  tigers.  It  was  maddening. 
But  after  a  time  the  passion  of  weeping  calmed  down, 
and  Harry  sat  up  suddenly. 

"I  am  a  fool,"  he  said  as  he  rose  to  his  feet;  "a  nice 
sort  of  fellow  for  a  protector,  lying  here  crying  like  a 
girl  when  I  had  begun  to  fancy  I  was  a  man ;  wasting  my 
time  here  when  I  know  the  only  hope  for  the  girls  is  for 
me  to  keep  nryself  free  to  help  them.  I  need  not  lose  all 
hope  yet.  After  Marie  has  been  saved,  why  shouldn't  I 
save  my  Jeanne?  I  am  better  off  than  I  was  then,  for  we 
have  friends  who  will  help.  These  women  whose  hearts 
Jeanne  has  won  will  aid  if  they  can,  and  may  get  some  of 
their  husbands  and  brothers  to  aid.  The  battle  is  not 
lost  yet,  and  Jeanne  will  know  I  shall  move  heaven  and 
earth  to  save  her." 

Harry's  fit  of  crying,  unmanly  as  he  felt  it,  had 
afforded  him  an  immense  relief,  for  he  hardly  knew  him- 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  237 

self  how  great  the  strain  had  been  upon  him  of  late,  and 
with  a  more  elastic  step  he  strode  away  into  the  country., 
and  for  hours  walked  on,  revolving  plan  after  plan  in  his 
mind  for  rescuing  the  girls.  Although  nothing  very 
plausible  had  occurred  to  him  he  felt  brighter  in  mind, 
though  weary  in  body,  when,  just  after  nightfall,  he 
again  approached  the  spot  where  he  had  that  morning 
received  so  heavy  a  blow.  He  was  not  disheartened  at 
the  difficulty  before  him,  for  he  knew  that  he  should 
have  some  time  yet  to  hit  upon  a  plan,  and  the  jails  were 
so  crowded  with  prisoners  that  he  might  fairly  reckon 
upon  weeks  before  there  was  any  actual  necessity  for 
action.     Marthe  Pichon  was  waiting  for  him. 

"Ah,  monsieur,"  she  began,  "but  this  is  a  terrible  day! 
Oh,  if  I  had  but  known  'a  day  or  two  earlier  they  could 
have  moved  in  time,  and  now  they  are  in  the  power  of 
those  wolves;  but  we  will  try  to  save  them.  We  have 
been  talking  it  over.  We  will  all  go  to  the  tribunal,  and 
we  will  take  our  husbands  and  our  children  with  us,  and 
we  will  demand  their  release.  We  will  not  let  them  be 
murdered.  And  now  here  are  the  clothes,  but  you  need 
not  put  them  on  now.  There  will  be  a  boat  here  in  a 
few  minutes.  We  have  told  some  of  the  sailors  how  they 
misjudged  you,  and  they  are  sorry,  now  it  is  too  late, 
that  they  would  not  listen  when  you  spoke  to  them. 
However,  they  will  do  all  they  can  for  you.  I  have  sent 
a  message  by  a  boy  to  my  sister  to  say  that  I  shall  be 
down  this  evening,  so  they  will  be  expecting  us.  Ah, 
here  is  the  boat!" 

The  splash  of  oars  was  heard,  and  a  boat  rowed  along 
close  to  the  bank. 

"Is  that  you,  Pierre?" 

"It  is  us,  sure  enough,  Mere  Pichon.     Is  all  right?" 

"Yes,  we  are  both  here." 


238  IN  TEE    REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

In  another  minute  the  boat  was  rowed  alongside,  and 
Harry  and  the  woman  got  on  board.  There  were  few 
words  spoken  as  the  two  men  rowed  vigorously  down- 
stream. In  three-quarters  of  an  hour  some  lights  were 
seen  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  the  boat  was  headed 
toward  them  and  soon  reached  a  little  causeway. 

"I  shaii  nob  be  more  than  twenty  minutes,"  Mere 
Pichon  said  as  she  got  out. 

"All  right,  we  will  wait!"  was  the  reply,  and  mount- 
ing the  causeway  La  Mere  Pichon  led  the  way  to  the  fur- 
thest cottage  in  the  little  fishing-village.  A  light  was  burn- 
ing within,  and  lifting  the  latch  she  entered,  followed  by 
Harry.  A  fisherman  and  his  wife  were  sitting  by  the  fire. 

"Here,  sister  Henriette  and  brother  Pierre, "  Marthe 
said;  "you  have  heard  from  me  how  a  dear  angel,  who 
lived  next  door  to  me,  has  nursed  and  tended  my  little 
Julie,  and  by  the  blessing  of  the  Virgin  brought  her 
round  from  her  illness;  and  those  wretches,  the  Eeds, 
have  carried  her  off  to-day  with  her  sister,  and  you  know 
what  it  is  to  fall  into  their  hands.  This  is  her  brother, 
and  I  am  going  to,  ask  you  to  give  him  shelter  and  let 
him  stay  here  with  you.  I  have  brought  him  a  suit  of 
clothes  with  me,  and  no  one  will  guess  that  he  is  not  the 
son  of  some  comrade  of  yours.  He  will  pay  you  well  for 
sheltering  him  till  we  can  put  him  on  board  Adolphe's 
lugger  and  send  him  across  the  water.  If  it  had  not 
been  that  the  Eeds  had  come  to-day  I  should  have 
brought  his  sisters  with  him.  I  was  just  starting  to 
arrange  it  with  you  when  those  wretches  came  and  took 
them  away,  and  it  may  be  that  we  may  bring  them  yet. 
Mademoiselle  says  that  they  would  pay  a  hundred 
crowns  to  you,  and  that  is  no  a  sum  to  be  earned  every 
day." 

"No,  indeed,"  her  sister  said  briskly;  "that  will  buy 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  239 

Pierre  a  new  boat,  and  a  good  one,  such  as  he  can  go  out 
to  sea  in;  beside,  as  you  say,  after  what  his  sister  did 
for  Julie  we  are  bound  to  help  them.  What  do  you  say, 
Pierre?" 

Pierre's  face  had  expressed  anything  but  satisfaction 
until  the  money  was  mentioned,  but  it  then  changed 
entirely.  The  times  were  bad — his  boat  was  old  and 
unseaworthy — a  hundred  crowns  was  a  fortune  to  him. 

"I  have  risked  my  life  often,"  he  said,  "to  earn  five 
crowns ;  therefore  I  do  not  say  no  to  the  offer.  Mon- 
sieur, I  accept;  for  a  hundred  crowns  I  will  run  the  risk 
of  keeping  you  here,  and  3rour  sisters  too,  if  they  should 
come,  until  you  can  cross  the  water." 

"Very  well  then,"  Marthe  Pichon  said.  "That's  set- 
tled; now  I  shall  be  off  at  once.  They  will  be  watching 
the  street  for  monsieur,  and  to-morrow,  when  they  find 
he  has  not  come  back,  they  will  be  asking  questions,  so 
the  sooner  I  am  back  the  better." 

"We  cannot  give  you  much  accommodation,  mon- 
sieur," the  fisherman  said.  "There  is  only  the  loft  up- 
stairs, and,  for  to-night,  the  sails  to  sleep  on ;  but  we 
will  try  and  make  you  more  comfortable  to-morrow." 

"I  care  nothing  for  comfort,"  Harry  answered,  "so 
make  no  change  for  me.  Just  treat  me  as  if  I  were  what 
I  shall  seem  to  be — a  young  fisherman  who  has  come  to 
work  with  you  for  a  bit.  I  will  row  with  you  and  help 
you  with  3'our  nets.  Your  sister  has  promised  to  send 
a  boy  every  day  with  all  the  news  she  can  gather.  Now, 
if  you  have  a  piece  of  bread  I  will  gladly  eat  it,  for  I  have 
touched  nothing  since  breakfast." 

"We  can  do  better  than  that  for  you, "  the  woman 
replied,  and  in  a  few  minutes  some  fish  were  frying  over 
the  fire.  Fortunately  the  long  hours  he  had  been  on  his- 
feet  had  thoroughly  tired  Harry  out,  and  after  eating  his 


240  -EV  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

supper  he  at  once  ascended  to  the  loft,  threw  himself  on 
the  heap  of  sails,  and  in  a  few  minutes  was  sound  asleep. 
The  next  morning  he  dressed  himself  in  the  fisherman's 
clothes  with  which  he  had  been  provided,  and  went 
downstairs. 

"You  will  do,"  Pierre  said,  looking  at  him;  "but  your 
hands  and  face  are  too  white.  But  I  was  tanning  my 
sails  yesterday,  and  there  is  some  of  the  stuff  left  in  the 
boiler;  if  you  rub  your  hands  and  face  with  that  you  will 
do  well." 

Harry  took  the  advice,  and  the  effect  was  to  give  him 
the  appearance  of  a  lad  whose  face  was  bronzed  by  long 
exposure  to  the  sea  and  air. 

"You  will  pass  anywhere  now, "  Pierre  said  approv- 
ingly. "I  shall  give  out  that  you  belong  to  St. 
Nazaire,  and  are  the  son  of  a  friend  of  mine  whose  fish- 
ing-boat was  lost  in  the  last  gale,  and  so  you  have  come 
to  work  for  a  time  with  me;  no  one  would  ask  you  any 
more.  Beside,  we  are  all  comrades,  and  hate  the  Beds, 
who  have  spoiled  our  trade  by  killing  all  our  best  cus- 
tomers, so  if  they  come  asking  questions  here  they  won't 
get  a  word  out  of  any  one. " 

For  ten  days  Harry  lived  with  the  fisherman.  Adolphe 
had  returned  in  his  lugger  the  day  after  his  arrival  there, 
and  came  over  the  next  evening  to  see  him.  He  said  that 
it  would  be  some  little  time  before  the  lugger  sailed 
again  but  that  if  he  was  ready  to  start  before  she  sailed 
lie  would  manage  to  procure  him  a  passage  in  some  other 
craft.  He  said  that  he  had  already  been  talking  to  some 
of  the  sailors  on  the  wharves  and  that  they  had  promised 
to  go  to  the  tribunal  when  the  girls  were  brought  up 
before  it  and  that  he  would  manage  to  get  news  from  a 
friend  employed  in  the  prison  when  that  would  be. 

Harry  frequently  went  up  in  a  boat  to  Nantes  with 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  241 

Pierre  with  the  fish  they  had  caught.  He  had  no  fear  of 
being  recognized  and  did  not  hesitate  to  land,  though  he 
seldom  went  far  from  the  boat.  Adolphe  was  generally 
there  and  he  and  two  or  three  of  his  comrades  who  were 
in  the  secret  always  hailed  him  as  an  old  acquaintance  so 
that  had  any  of  the  spies  of  the  Revolutionists  been 
standing  there  no  suspicion  that  Harry  was  other  than 
he  seemed  would  have  entered  their  minds. 

One  evening  three  weeks  after  Harry's  arrival  at  the 
hut  Adolphe  came  in  with  his  head  bound  up  by  a 
bandage. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Adolphe?"  Harry  exclaimed. 

"I  have  bad  news  for  you,  monsieur.  I  learned  this 
morning  that  mesdemoiselles  were  to-day  to  be  brought 
before  the  tribunal,  and  we  filled  the  hall  with  women  and 
two  or  three  score  of  sailors.  Mesdemoiselles  were 
brought  out.  The  young  one  seemed  frightened,  but  the 
elder  was  as  calm  and  brave  as  if  she  feared  nothing. 
They  were  asked  their  names  and  she  said : 

"  'I  am  Jeanne  de  St.  Caux  and  this  is  my  sister  Vir- 
ginie.     We  have  committed  no  crime. ' 

"Carrier  himself  was  there  and  he  said: 

"  'You  are  charged  with  being  enemies  of  France  with 
being  here  in  disguise,  and  with  trying  to  leave  France 
contrary  to  the  laws  against  emigration,  and  with  being 
in  company  with  one  who,  under  false  pretenses  obtained 
admission  to  the  Committee  of  Safety  here,  but  who  is 
an  enemy  and  traitor  to  France.     What  do  you  say?' 

"  'I  do  not  deny  that  we  were  in  disguise,'  she  said  in 
her  clear  voice.  'Nor  do  I  deny  that  we  should  have 
escaped  if  we  could.  And  as  you  treat  us  as  enemies, 
and  our  lives  here  are  in  danger,  I  cannot  see  that  we 
were  to  blame  in  doing  so.  I  deny  that  we  are  enemies 
of  France,  or  that  the  gentleman  who  was  with  us  was  so 


242  -EV  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

either.  He  did  not  obtain  a  place  on  the  committee  by 
fraud,  for  he  was  really  the  secretary  of  Monsieur  Robes- 
pierre, and  he  could  not  refuse  the  post  when  it  was 
offered  to  him. ' 

"Then  we  thought  it  was  time  to  speak,  and  the  women 
cried  out  for  mercy,  and  said  how  good  she  had  been  to 
the  poor;  and  we  men  cried  out  too.  And  then  Carrier 
got  into  a  passion,  and  said  they  were  traitors  and  worthy 
of  death,  and  that  they  should  die.  And  we  shouted  we 
would  not  have  it,  and  broke  into  the  tribunal  and  sur- 
rounded mesdemoiselles,  and  then  the  guards  rushed  in 
and  there  was  a  fight.  "We  beat  them  off  and  got  out- 
side, and  then  a  regiment  came  up,  and  they  were  too 
strong  for  us,  though  we  fought  stoutly,  I  can  tell  you, 
for  our  blood  was  up;  but  it  was  no  use.  The  dear 
ladies  were  captured  again,  and  many  of  us  got  severe 
wounds.  But  the  feeling  was  strong,  I  can  tell  you, 
among  the  sailors  when  the  news  spread  through  the 
town,  for  some  of  the  women  got  hurt,  too,  in  the  melee, 
and  I  think  we  could  get  five  hundred  men  together  to 
storm  the  jail." 

Harry  was  bitterly  disappointed,  for  he  had  hoped 
that  the  intercession  of  the  women  might  have  availed 
with  the  judges,  and  doubtless  would  have  done  so  had 
not  Carrier  himself  been  present.  However,  he  thanked 
the  sailor  warmly  for  the  efforts  he  had  made,  and  gave 
him  some  money  to  distribute  among  the  wounded,  for 
he  always  carried  half  his  money  concealed  in  a  belt  un- 
der his  clothes.  The  other  half  was  hidden  away  under 
a  board  in  his  lodgings,  so  that  in  case  of  his  being  cap- 
tured the  girls  would  still  have  funds  available  for  their 
escape.  As  to  the  prospects  of  storming  the  jail  he  did 
not  feel  sanguine.  It  was  strongly  guarded,  and  there 
were  three  regiments  of  troops  in  the  town,  and  these 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  243 

could  be  brought  up  before  the  fishermen  could  force  the 
strong  defenses  of  the  jail.  However,  as  a  last  resource, 
this  might  be  attempted. 

Two  days  later  Adolphe  again  returned,  and  was 
obliged  to  confess  in  answer  to  Harry's  inquiries  that  he 
feared  the  sailors  as  a  body  would  not  join  in  the  attempt. 

"I  can  hardly  blame  them,  monsieur.  For  though  I 
myself  would  risk  everything,  and  some  of  the  others 
would  do  so  too,  it  is  a  terrible  thing  for  men  with  wives 
and  families  to  brave  the  anger  of  these  monsters.  They 
would  think  nothing  of  putting  us  all  to  death.  It  isn't 
the  fighting  we  are  afraid  of,  though  the  odds  are  heavy 
against  us,  but  it's  the  vengeance  they  would  take  after- 
ward, whether  we  happened  to  win  or  whether  we 
didn't." 

"I  cannot  blame  them,"  Harry  said.  "As  you  say, 
even  if  they  succeeded  there  would  be  a  terrible  venge- 
ance for  it  afterward.  No;  if  the  girls  are  to  be  rescued 
it  must  be  by  some  other  way.  I  have  been  quiet  so  long 
because  I  hoped  that  the  intercession  of  the  women 
would  have  saved  them.  As  that  has  failed  I  must  set  to 
work.  I  have  thought  of  every  method,  but  bribery 
seems  the  only  chance.  Will  you  speak  to  the  man  you 
know  in  the  prison,  and  sound  him  whether  it  will  be 
possible  to  carry  out  any  plan  in  that  way?" 

"I  will  speak  again  to  him,"  Adolphe  said.  "But  I 
have  already  sounded  him,  and  he  said  that  there  were  so 
many  guards  and  jailers  that  he  feared  that  it  would  be 
impossible.     But  I  will  try  again. " 

The  next  day,  soon  after  dinner,  Adolphe  came  again, 
and  thei'e  was  a  white,  scared  look  upon  his  face  which 
filled  Harry  with  alarm. 

"What  is  it,  Adolphe?     What  is  your  news?" 

"Monsieur,  I  can  hardly  tell  it,"  Adolphe  said  in  a 


244  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

low,  awe-stricken  voice.  "It  is  too  awful  even  for  these 
fiends." 

"What  is  it,  Adolphe?  Tell  me.  If  they  have  been 
murdered  I  will  go  straight  to  Nantes  and  kill  Carrier  the 
first  time  he  leaves  his  house,  though  they  may  tear  me 
to  pieces  afterward." 

"They  are  not  murdered  yet,"  Adolphe  said;  "but 
they  are  to  be,  and  everyone  else."  And  this  time  the 
sailor  sat  down  and  cried  like  a  child. 

At  last,  in  answer  to  Harry's  entreaties,  he  raised  his 
head  and  told  the  story.  The  Eevolutionary  Committee 
had  that  day  been  down  at  the  wharf,  and  had  taken  for 
the  public  service  four  old  luggers  past  service  which 
were  lying  on  the  mud,  and  they  had  openly  boasted 
that  an  end  was  going  to  be  put  to  the  aristocrats;  that 
the  guillotine  was  too  slow,  that  the  prison  must  be 
cleared,  and  that  they  were  going  to  pack  the  aristocrats 
on  board  the  luggers  and  sink  them. 

Harry  gave  a  cry  of  horror,  in  which  the  fisherman  and 
his  wife  joined,  the  latter  pouring  out  voluble  curses 
against  Carrier  and  the  Eeds. 

After  his  first  cry  Harry  was  silent ;  he  sank  down  on 
to  a  low  chair,  and  sat  there  with  his  face  hidden  in  his 
hands  for  some  minutes,  while  the  fisherman  and  his  wife 
poured  question  after  question  upon  Adolphe.  Presently 
Harry  rose  to  his  feet,  and  saying  to  Adolphe,  "Do  not 
go  away,  I  shall  be  back  presently,  I  must  think  by 
myself,"  went  out  bareheaded  into  the  night. 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  he  returned. 

"Now,  Adolphe,"  he  said,  "I  can  think  again.  Now, 
Bow  are  they  to  be  saved?" 

"I  cannot  say,  monsieur,"  Adolphe  said  hesitatingly. 
"It  does  not  seem  to  me " 

"They  have  to  be  saved,"  Harry  interrupted  him  in  a 
graven  steady  voice.     "The  question  is  how?" 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  245 

"Yes,  monsieur,"  Adolphe  agreed  hesitatingly,  "that 
is  the  question.  You  can  rely  upon  me,  monsieur/*  he 
went  on,  "to  do  my  best  whatever  you  may  decide;  but 
I  have  no  head  to  invent  things.  You  tell  me  and  I  will 
doit." 

"I  know  I  can  rely  upon  you,  Adolphe.  As  far  as  I 
can  see  there  are  but  two  ways.  One  is  for  me  to  go  to 
Carrier's  house,  find  the  monster,  place  a  pistol  at  his 
head,  compel  him  to  order  them  to  be  released,  stand 
with  him  at  the  prison  door  till  they  come  out,  embark 
with  him  and  them  in  a  boat,  row  down  the  river,  and 
put  to  sea." 

"And  then,  monsieur?"  Adolphe  asked  after  a  pause, 
seeing  that  Harry  was  speaking  to  himself  rather  than  to 
him. 

"Yes,  that  is  the  question  that  I  cannot  answer, "  Harry 
replied.  "I  can  see  all  the  rest  as  if  it  were  passing.  I 
can  feel  Carrier  trembling  in  my  grasp,  and  shrinking  as 
the  pistol  touches  his  forehead.  I  can  hear  him  giving 
his  orders,  I  can  see  the  crowd  falling  back  as  I  walk 
with  him  through  the  street,  I  can  hear  him  crying  to 
the  people  to  stand  aside  and  let  us  pass,  I  can  see  us  go- 
ing down  the  river  together;  but  what  am  I  to  do  in  a 
boat  with  two  ladies  at  sea?" 

"Could  you  not  embark  in  a  lugger?"  Adolphe  ex- 
claimed, carried  away  by  the  picture  which  Harry  seemed 
to  be  describing  as  if  he  saw  it.  "Why  not  start  in  a 
lugger  at  once?  I  might  have  the  Trois  Freres  ready, 
and  the  men  will  all  stand  by  you ;  and  when  we  are  once 
outside  the  river  we  will  throw  Carrier  over  to  the  fishes 
and  make  for  England." 

"Thank  you,  Adolphe.  If  the  other  plans  seem  im- 
possible we  will  try  that,  but  only  as  a  last  resource;  for 
I  know  the  chances  are  a  hundred  to  one  against  its  sue- 


246  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

cess.  I  should  have  bo  fear  as  to  Carrier  himself,  but  as 
I  went  through  the  streets  some  one  else  might  place  a 
musket  at  the  back  of  my  head  and  shoot  me.  If  I  could 
get  him  alone  it  would  be  different.  You  could  go  with 
me ;  I  would  force  him  to  sign  the  order  of  release ;  you 
could  take  it;  and  I  would  stand  over  him  till  you  had 
time  to  embark  with  them ;  then  I  would  blow  out  his 
brains  and  make  my  way  down  to  the  river.  But  there 
would  be  no  chance  of  finding  him  alone.  Monsters  like 
this  are  always  fearful  of  assassination." 

"And  what  is  monsieur's  other  plan?" 

"The  other  plan  is  to  get  on  board  the  boat  in  which 
they  are  to  be  placed — you  might  find  out  which  it  is 
from  your  friend  in  prison — hide  down  in  the  hold  until 
the  guards  leave  her;  then  join  them;  and  when  she 
sinks  fasten  them  to  a  spar  and  drift  down  the  river  with 
them  till  out  of  sight  of  the  town,  when  Pierre  could  row 
off  and  pick  them  up." 

"They  say  there  are  to  be  soldiers  on  each  side  of  the 
river,"  Adolphe  said  despondently,  "to  shoot  down  any 
who  may  try  to  swim  to  shore.  But  there  would  not  be 
many  who  would  try.  Most  of  them,  they  say,  will  be 
women  and  children ;  but  the  heads  would  be  seen  as  you 
drifted  down." 

"Yes;  but  we  must  think  of  something,  Adolphe — 
think,  man,  think — and  you,  Pierre,  think;  if  you  were  in 
a  sinking  ship,  and  you  wanted  something  which  would 
hide  you  from  the  eyes  of  people  a  hundred  yards  away, 
what  would  you  take?" 

"But  you  would  be  seen  on  anything  you  climbed  on 
to  or  clung  to,  monsieur." 

"But  we  need  not  climb  on  to  it, "  Harry  said.  "I 
can  take  pieces  of  cork  with  me  and  wrap  round  them  so 
as  to  keep  their  faces  just  afloat.  I  should  only  want 
something  that  would  hide  their  faces." 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TEEEOE.  247 

"A  hatch  might  do,"  Pierre  said. 

"The  very  thing!"  Harry  exclaimed,  with  a  fresh  ring 
of  animation  and  hopefulness  in  his  voice;  "the  very 
thing!  Of  course  there  would  be  a  hatchway  to  the  fore- 
castle of  the  lugger.  "We  might  get  that  loosened  before- 
hand, so  that  it  would  float  off.  What  is  the  size  of  such 
a  hatch?" 

"Some  four  feet  square,  monsieur." 

"That  will  be  enough,"  Harry  said;  "but  how  high 
would  a  hatch  float  out  of  water,  because  there  must  be 
room  between  the  top  and  the  water  for  us  to  breathe  as 
we  lie  on  our  backs.  Four  inches  would  be  enough. 
Are  the  sides  buoyant  enough  to  keep  the  top  that  much 
out  of  water?" 

"I  do  not  think  so,  monsieur,"  Pierre  said  with  a 
shake  of  the  head.  "It  would  float  nearly  level  with  the 
water." 

"But  see  here,  monsieur,"  Adolphe  said  eagerly;  "I 
have  an  idea!  The  hatches  are  covered  with  tarpaulin. 
If  you  could  hide  in  the  forecastle  during  the  night  you 
might  cut  away  all  the  top  underneath  the  tarpaulin  and 
prop  it  up,  so  that  if  any  one  trod  on  it  in  the  morning 
they  would  not  notice  what  had  been  done.  Then  when 
they  have  pushed  off  you  could  knock  away  the  props,  the 
board  would  tumble  down,  and  there  would  be  only  the 
tarpaulin  cover  on  the  sides.  It  would  float  then  quite 
four  inches  out  of  water,  and  that  in  the  middle  of 
the  stream  would  look  almost  level  with  it." 

"I  will  try  it,"  Harry  said;  "there  is  a  chance  of  suc- 
cess." 

"It  is  a  terrible  risk,  monsieur,"  Pierre  said. 

"I  know  it,"  Harry  replied;  "but  it  is  just  possible. 
The  chances  are  a  hundred  to  one  against  it,  but  it  may 
succeed.     Well,  Pierre,  do  you  be  with  your  boat  on  the 


248  IN  THE  HEIGH  OF  TERROR. 

river  just  below  the  point  where  the  town  can  be  seen. 
If  you  see  a  hatch  floating  down  row  to  it.  If  we  are 
beneath  it,  well  and  good;  if  not " 

"If  not,  monsieur, "  the  fisherman's  wife  said  solemnly, 
"we  will  pray  for  your  souls." 

"Adolphe  will  seud  down  to  you  in  the  morning  the 
two  fisher-girls'  dresses  his  wife  had  prepared  for  the 
ladies.  Have  some  brandy  in  the  boat  and  your  little 
charcoal  stove,  and  keep  water  boiling.  They  will  want 
it.  And  now  good-by,  my  good  friends!  Pray  for  us 
to-night.  Now,  Adolphe,  let  us  hasten  back  to  the  town, 
for  there  is  much  to  be  done.  And  first  of  all  you  must 
see  your  friend  in  the  prison;  find  out  if  mesdemoiselles 
are  on  the  list  of  those  to  be  murdered.  I  have  no  doubt 
they  will  be,  for  after  the  emeute  there  has  been  about 
them,  they  are  almost  sure  to  be  among  the  first  victims. 
But  above  all,  'find  out,  if  you  can,  which  vessel  they  are 
to  be  placed  in." 

"But  if  I  cannot  find  that  out,  monsieur;  if  there  is  no 
arrangement  made  at  all — though  I  should  think  there 
would  be,  for  the  butchers  will  like  to  have  everything 
done  in  order " 

"Then  I  will  get  you  to  find  a  dozen  men  you  can  trust 
to  volunteer  to  row  the  boats  to  put  them  on  board.  And 
you  must  be  sure  to  take  the  boat  in  which  they  are  to 
the  lugger  we  have  prepared." 

"I  will  try,"  Adolphe  said,  "though  I  would  rather 
cut  off  my  hand  than  pull  an  oar  to  take  those  poor  creat- 
ures out  to  be  murdered.  But  I  will  do  it,  monsieur. 
But  except  for  that  I  warrant  me  they  will  not  get  a 
sailor  in  Nantes  to  put  his  hand  to  an  oar  to  aid  their 
accursed  work." 

It  was  four  o'clock  when  they  arrived  at  Nantes. 
Adolphe  went  straight  to  the  prison,  while  Harry  walked 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  349 

along  the  quay.  "When  he  came  abreast  the  center  of  the 
town  a  number  of  sailors  and  fishermen  were  standing 
talking  in  low  tones,  and  looking  with  horror  at  four  lug- 
gers moored  in  a  line  in  the  center  of  the  river.  A  num- 
ber of  men  drawn  from  the  scum  of  the  town  were  paint- 
ing them  white,  while  a  strong  body  of  troops  were 
drawn  up  on  the  quay  in  readiness  to  put  a  summary 
stop  to  any  demonstration  of  hostility  on  the  part  of  the 
sailors.  These  did  not  indeed  venture  to  express  openly 
their  detestation  of  the  proceedings,  but  the  muttered 
execrations  and  curses  that  rose  from  the  little  group 
showed  how  deep  were  their  feelings. 

Harry  joined  a  little  knot  of  three  or  four  men  who  had 
been,  with  Adolphe,  in  the  habit  of  greeting  him  when 
he  landed. 

"All  is  lost,  you  see!"  one  of  them  said  in  a  tone  of 
deep  commiseration.  "There  is  nothing  left  but  ven- 
geance— we  will  take  that  one  of  these  days — but  that  is  a 
poor  consolation  for  you  now." 

"All  is  not  quite  lost,"  Harry  said.  "I  have  yet  one 
hope." 

"We  dare  not  try  force,"  one  of  the  other  men  said. 
"The3r  have  marched  three  more  regiments  of  Eeds  in 
to-day.  What  can  we  do  against  them  without  arms?  I 
could  cry  to  think  that  we  are  so  helpless  in  the  face  of 
these  things." 

"No;  I  know  force  is  useless,"  Harry  said.  "Still  I 
have  just  one  hope  left.  It  is  a  desperate  one,  and  I  can- 
not tell  you  what  it  is  now;  but  to-night,  maybe,  Adolphe 
may  ask  you  to  help  us.     I  expect  him  here  soon. " 

In  half  an  hour  Adolphe  returned,  and  Harry  at  once 
joined  him. 

"I  have  got  the  news  I  wanted,"  he  said.  "Mesdemoi- 
selles  are  to  be  in  the  first  batch  brought  out.     Boats  hare 


250  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

already  "been  brought  by  the  Reds  to  row  them  out,  and 
men  hired.  They  were  forced  to  buy  the  boats,  for  not 
a  man  would  let  his  craft  for  such  a  purpose.  It  would 
be  accursed  ever  afterward,  no  sailor  would  ever  put  a 
foot  on  board.  The  first  boats  will  go  to  the  ship  lying 
lowest  in  the  stream;  then  they  will  come  back  and  take 
the  next  batch  out  to  the  vessel  next  above ;  and  so  until 
all  are  on  board.  There  will  be  fifty  placed  on  board 
each  lugger;  and  I  hear,  monsieur,  that  is  only  the  first 
of  it,  and  that  the  drownings  will  go  on  until  the  prisons 
are  cleared." 

"Thank  God  we  know  that  much,  Adolphe!  Now,  in 
the  first  place,  I  want  you  to  get  me  some  tools — a  sharp 
saw,  a  chisel,  a  large  screwdriver,  and  half  a  dozen  large 
screws;  also,  two  beams  of  wood  to  fasten  across  the 
hatchway  and  keep  the  boards  up  after  I  have  sawn 
through  them ;  also,  I  want  three  bundles  of  cork — flat 
pieces  will  be  the  best  if  you  can  get  them,  but  that 
doesn't  matter  much.  I  may  as  well  have  an  auger  too. 
When  you  go  back  to  your  house  will  you  go  in  next 
door  and  ask  our  old  landlady,  Mere  Leflo " 

"She  died  three  days  ago,"  the  man  said. 

"Then  go  into  the  house  without  asking,  and  in  the 
furthest  corner  to  the  righthand  side  of  the  kitchen 
scratch  away  the  earth,  and  you  will  find  a  little  bag  of 
money.  If  I  fail  to-morrow,  keep  it  for  yourself;  if  I 
succeed,  bring  it  to  me  at  Pierre's.  When  does  your 
lugger  sail  for  England?" 

"In  three  days,  monsieur.  I  have  already  sounded 
the  captain,  and  I.  think  he  will  take  you.  And  what 
shall  I  do  next?" 

"At  nine  o'clock  this  evening  have  a  boat  with  the 
things  on  board  half  a  mile  below  the  town.  Give  a  low 
whistle  and  I  will  answer  it.     Wrap  some  flannel  round 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  251 

■ 
the  rowlocks  to  muffle  the  sound.      It  will  be  a  dark 

night,  and  there's  a  mist  rising  already  from  the  river. 

I  do  not  think  there's  much  chance  of  our  meeting  any 

boats  near  those  vessels." 

"No,  indeed,"  Adolphe  agreed.  "It  makes  me  shiver 
to  look  at  them.  There  will  be  no  boats  out  on  the  river 
to-night  except  ours.  Will  you  not  come  home  with  me, 
monsieur,  until  it  is  time  to  start?  You  will  need  sup- 
per, for  you  must  keep  up  your  strength. " 

Harry  accepted  the  sailor's  invitation;  and  after  par- 
taking of  a  meal  with  Adolphe  and  his  wife,  who  was  in- 
formed of  the  attempt  which  was  about  to  be  made,  he 
sat  looking  quietly  into  the  fire,  arranging  in  his  mind 
all  the  details  of  the  enterprise,  uttering  many  a  silent 
but  fervent  prayer  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  save 
the  lives  of  the  two  girls. 

Adolphe  went  in  and  out  making  his  preparations.  At 
half -past  eight  he  said,  touching  Harry  on  the  shoulder : 
"It  is  time  to  start,  monsieur.  I  have  got  the  bag  of 
money.  Everything  is  in  the  boat,  and  I  saw  the  men 
start  with  it.     It  is  time  for  us  to  go  and  meet  them." 

Marthe  burst  into  tears  as  she  said  good-by  to  Harry. 

"I  shall  spend  all  night  on  my  knees,"  she  said,  "pray- 
ing God  and  the  Holy  Virgin  to  aid  you  and  save  those 
dear  angels.  Here  is  a  packet,  monsieur,  with  some  food 
for  you  to  eat  in  the  morning,  and  a  bottle  of  good  wine. 
You  will  want  strength  for  your  adventure." 

Three  or  four  minutes  after  Harry  and  Adolphe  had 
gained  the  appointed  spot  the3r  heard  a  low  whistle  on 
the  water.  Adolphe  whistled  in  return,  and  in  another 
minute  a  dark  object  appeared  through  the  mist.  They 
took  their  places  in  the  stern,  and  the  boat  rowed  quietly 
off  again. 

So  well  were  the  oars  muffled  that  Harry    could  hear 


252  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

no  sound  save  an  almost  imperceptible  splash  each  time 
they  dipped  into  the  water. 

The  town  was  very  still  and  scarce  a  sound  was  heard. 
The  awe  of  the  horrible  event  which  was  about  to  take 
place  hung  over  the  town,  and  although  there  was  drink- 
ing and  exultations  among  the  ruffians  in  the  back  lanes, 
even  these  instinctively  avoided  the  neighborhood  of  the 
river. 

So  thick  was  the  fog  that  they  were  some  little  time 
before  they  found  the  white  luggers.  When  they  did  so 
they  rowed  to  that  moored  lowest  down  the  stream  and 
made  fast  alongside.  Noiselessly  the  tools  and  beams 
were  handed  on  board.     Then  Harry  said : 

"That  is  all,  Adolphe." 

"Not  at  all,  monsieur.  We  are  not  going  to  leave  you 
till  the  work  is  done.  We  have  settled  that  four  sets  of 
hands  can  work  better  than  one,  and  beside,  we  may  hit 
on  some  idea.     No  one  can  say." 

Finding  it  useless  to  remonstrate,  Harry  let  the  good 
fellows  have  their  way.  The  men  had  already  removed 
their  boots,  and  noiselessly  made  their  way  to  the  hatch 
of  the  forecastle.  "Ah,  it  is  just  as  well  I  brought  a  file 
with  me,"  Adolphe  said  in  a  low  voice  as  he  knelt  down 
and  felt  the  hatch.  .  "It  is  fastened  down  with  a  staple 
and  padlock.  They  are  old,  but  you  might  have  some 
trouble  in  breaking  them.  But  let  us  see  first.  No,  it 
moves.     Now,  a  wrench  all  together." 

As  he  spoke  the  staple  came  up  through  the  rotten 
wood  of  the  deck.     The  hatch  was  then  lifted. 

"Lower  it  down  corner-ways  into  the  fo'castle, " 
Adolphe  said.  "We  can  work  all  the  better  at  it  there. 
Jacques,  do  you  get  that  sail  up  out  of  the  boat  and 
throw  it  over  the  hatch.  It  isn't  likely  any  one  will 
come  out  here  through  the  fog,  but  it's  just  as  well  not 
to  run  any  risk." 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  £53 

As  soon  as  all  were  below  and  the  sail  spread  over  the 
opening  above,  Adolphe  produced  a  dark  lantern  from 
the  great  pocket  of  his  fisherman's  cloak,  together  with 
two  or  there  candles.  These  were  lit  at  the  lantern,  and 
the  party  then  set  to  work. 

Two  saws  had  been  brought  on  board,  and  a  piece  three 
feet  square  was  cut  out  of  the  top  of  the  hatch,  leaving 
six  inches  of  wood  all  round.  Great  pains  were  taken 
not  to  saw  through  the  tarpaulin  cover. 

"Now,  the  next  thing  to  do,"  Harry  said,  "is  to  fix 
the  beams  so  as  to  hold  the  wood  in  its  place  again." 
Four  pieces  of  wood,  each  three  inches  long,  were  screwed 
against  the  combing  of  the  hatchway  in  such  a  position 
that  when  the  beams  were  placed  upon  them  they  were 
exactly  level  with  the  top,  and  supported  the  piece  cut 
out  from  the  hatchway  in  its  original  position. 

"That  will  do  rarely,"  Adolphe  said,  when  it  was  fin- 
ished and  the  hatchway  experimentally  placed  in  its  posi- 
tion. "Now,  all  you  have  to  do  is  just  to  knock  the  ends 
of  the  beams  off  their  ledges.  The  bit  we  have  cut  out 
will  fall  down,  and  you  will  be  able  easily  enough  to  lift 
the  hatchway  from  its  place.     It  is  no  great  weight  now. " 

"It  will  do  capitally,"  Harry  agreed,  "and  when  it 
floats  the  tarpaulin  will  certainly  be  three  inches  above 
the  water.  Yes,  I  have  no  fear  of  that  part  of  the  adven- 
ture going  wrong.  You  don't  think  that  it  will,  be 
noticed  from  the  shore,  Adolphe?" 

"Not  it,"  Adolphe  answered  confidently.  "Why, 
from  the  shore  it  will  look  awash  with  the  water.  No 
one  will  ever  dream  that  there  could  be  a  soul  alive  un- 
derneath it.  I  begin  to  think  you  will  do  it,  monsieur. 
At  first  it  seemed  hopeless.  Now  I  really  do  think  there 
is  a  chance.  I  should  feel  pretty  confident  if  it  was  you 
and  two  of  us  who  had  to  do  it;  but  the  difficulty  will  be 


254  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

to  get  the  young  ladies  under  it,  and  then  to  get  them  to 
lie  quiet  there." 

"That  is  the  difficulty,"  Harry  admitted.  "I  am  sure 
of  the  eldest.  Her  nerves  are  as  good  as  mine ;  what  I 
fear  is  about  the  younger. " 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  monsieur,"  one  of  the  other  men 
said;  "if  you  take  my  advice  you  will  have  a  piece  of 
rope  in  readiness  and  tie  it  round  her  arms  so  as  to  pre- 
vent her  struggling." 

"That  would  be  the  best  way,"  Harry  agreed.  "Yes, 
if  I  see  she  won't  be  calm  and  do  as  I  tell  her,  that  is 
what  I  will  do." 

"Now,  monsieur,  I  will  bore  a  couple  of  auger-holes 
through  the  bulkhead  here  so  that  you  can  see  what  is 
going  on  in  the  hold.  They  have  got  the  hatch  off  there. 
I  suppose  it  wasn't  padlocked,  and  they  will  no  doubt  go 
down  to  bore  the  holes  the  last  thing.  Like  enough  they 
have  bored  them  already,  and  will  only  have  to  knock 
out  the  plugs.  I  will  just  go  and  see  anyhow.  If  that 
is  so  you  may  set  your  mind  at  rest  that  none  of  them 
will  come  down  here  in  the  morning." 

So  saying,  taking  the  dark  lantern  he  climbed  up  on 
deck,  and  descended  the  hold. 

"That's  it,"  he  said  when  he  returned;  "there  are  six 
holes  bored  with  plugs  in  them,  so  they  won't  be  coming 
down  here.  When  we  go  up  we  will  put  the  staple  into 
its  hole  again,  so  that  it  will  look  all  right.  Now,  mon- 
sieur, we  will  just  have  one  nip  of  brandy  apiece  out  of 
this  bottle,  and  then  we  will  be  off.  It's  just  gone  mid- 
night, and  it  were  best  we  should  leave  you  to  sleep  for 
a  few  hours.  You  will  want  your  strength  in  the  morn- 
ing, unless,  of  course,  you  would  rather  we  stopped  with 
you  for  a  bit." 

"No,  thank  you,  Adolphe,  I  don't  think  I  shall  sleep] 
I  shall  sit  and  think  out  every  detail." 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  355 

"Then  good-night,  monsieur.  May  the  good  God 
bless  you  and  aid  you  to-morrow,  and  I  think  He  will  I 
I  do  think  you  are  the  bravest  man  I  ever  met." 

"I  am  not  brave  for  myself,  Adolphe,  but  for  them." 

The  three  men  shook  hands  with  Harry,  and  one  after 
another  in  husky  voices  gave  him  their  good  wishes. 
Then  they  ascended  to  the  deck,  put  on  the  hatch,  pressed 
the  staple  down  through  its  holes  in  the  deck,  got  into 
the  boat,  cast  off  the  head-rope,  and  got  out  the  oars. 

"Mon  Dieu,  what  courage!"  one  of  them  exclaimed. 
"His  hand  is  as  steady  and  his  voice  as  firm  as  if  he 
were  going  fishing  to-morrow." 

"I  think  he  will  succeed,"  Adolphe  said,  "anyhow, 
we  will  have  our  boat  out  below  the  bend  of  the  river, 
and  lend  a  hand  to  Pierre  to  get  them  out." 


256  IN  THE  BEIGN  OF  TEHMOR. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

THE    NOYADES. 

When  left  alone  Harry  blew  out  the  other  candles,  but 
left  that  in  the  lantern  burning,  and  threw  himself  down 
on  the  locker  and  thought  over  every  detail  of  the  work 
for  the  next  day.  As  he  had  said,  the  great  danger  was 
of  Virginie  struggling  and  being  too  frightened  to  follow 
his  instructions.  Certainly  he  could  fasten  a  rope  round 
her,  but  even  then  it  might  be  difficult  to  manage  her. 
The  next  danger  was,  that  other  persons  might  cling  to 
the  hatchway.  Harry  felt  the  long  knife  which  was  con- 
cealed in  his  breast. 

"God  grant  I  may  not  have  to  use  it!"  he  said;  "but, 
if  it  must  be,  I  shall  not  hesitate.  They  would  simply 
destroy  us  without  saving  themselves,  that  is  certain ; 
therefore,  I  am  justified  in  defending  the  girls,  as  I 
would  against  any  other  enemy." 

He  knelt  down  and  prayed  for  some  time.  Then  he 
replaced  the  piece  they  had  cut  from  the  hatch  and  fixed 
the  beams  beneath  it,  and  then  lay  down  again.  He  was 
worn  out  by  the  excitement  of  the  day,  and  in  spite  of 
his  anxiety  about  the  morrow  he  presently  fell  off  to 
sleep. 

It  was  long  before  he  woke.  When  he  did  so  he  looked 
through  one  of  the  auger-holes  into  the  hold  and  saw  the 
light  streaming  down  the  open  hatchway,  and  could  tell 
that  the  sun  was  already  up. 

He  ate  the  food  which  Marthe  had  put  into  his  pocket 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  257 

just  as  be  was  starting;  saw  that  the  bundles  of  corks 
were  ready  at  hand,  and  the  ropes  attached  to  them  so 
placed  that  they  could  be  fastened  on  in  an  instant. 
Then  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait.  The  time 
passed  slowly.  Presently  he  heard  the  sound  of  drums 
and  bugles,  and  knew  that  the  troops  were  taking  up 
their  positions  on  the  quays.  At  last — it  seemed  many 
hours  to  him — he  heard  the  splash  of  oars,  and  presently 
a  slight  shock  as  a  boat  ran  alongside  the  lugger.  Then 
there  were  voices,  and  the  sound  of  feet  above  as  persons 
mounted  on  to  the  deck.  There  was  a  scraping  noise  by 
the  lugger's  side,  and  immediately  afterward  another 
bump  as  the  second  boat  took  the  place  of  the  first. 

This,  as  far  as  Harry  could  hear,  did  not  leave  the 
lugger.  There  was  a  great  hum  of  talking  on  deck,  prin- 
cipally in  women's  voices,  and  frequently  persons  stepped 
on  the  hatch,  and  Harry  congratulated  himself  that  the 
beams  gave  a  solid  support  to  it. 

Half  an  hour  passed,  as  well  as  Harry  could  judge, 
then  the  boom  of  a  cannon  was  heard,  and  immediately 
two  men  leaped  down  into  the  hold,  knocked  the  sis 
plugs  out  of  their  place,  and  climbed  up  on  deck  again. 
There  was  again  the  scraping  noise,  and  Harry  knew  the 
boat  had  pushed  off  this  time  for  good.  He  watched  as 
if  fascinated  the  six  jets  of  water  for  a  minute  or  two. 
Then,  saying  to  himself,  "It  is  time, "  he  knocked  the 
beams  from  their  ledges,  allowed  the  square  of  wood  to 
fall,  lifted  the  hatch,  and  pushed  it  off  its  combing,  and 
then  claixibeved  on  to  the  deck  with  the  corks  and  ropes. 
There  were  some  fifty  persons  on  board,  for  the  most  part 
women  and  children,  but  with  two  or  three  men  among 
them.  They  were  gathered  near  the  stern,  and  were  ap- 
parently watching  the  scene  ashore  with  astonishment. 
He  hurried  aft,  having  no  fear  that  at  this  distance  from 


258  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

the  shore  his  figure  would  be  recognized  from  the  rest, 
and,  if  it  were,  it  mattered  not.  Two  or  three  turned 
round  as  the  supposed  sailor  came  aft,  exclaiming : 

"What  does  this  mean?  Why  are  we  put  here  on 
board  these  white  ships?  What  are  they  going  to  do 
with  us?" 

'''Alas,  ladies,"  he  said,  "they  have  put  you  here  to 
die;  they  have  bored  holes  in  the  ships'  bottoms,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  they  will  sink.  It  is  a  wholesale  execu- 
tion." 

As  he  began  to  speak  one  of  the  ladies  in  the  stern 
pushed  her  way  through  the  rest. 

"Oh,  Harry,  is  it  you!"  she  exclaimed  as  he  finished. 
"Is  it  true,  are  we  to  die  together?" 

"We  are  in  God's  hands,  Jeanne,  but  there  is  hope  yet. 
Bring  Virginie  forward  with  me." 

At  Harry's  first  words  a  panic  had  seized  all  around; 
one  or  two  ran  to  the  hatchway  and  looked  down  into  the 
hold,  and  screamed  out  that  the  water  was  rushing  in ; 
then  some  cried  to  the  distant  crowd  to  save  them ;  others 
ran  up  and  down  as  if  demented;  while  some  threw  them- 
selves on  their  knees.  But  the  panic  soon  passed  away ; 
all  had  for  weeks  looked  death  in  the  face,  and  though 
the  unexpected  form  in  which  it  appeared  had  for  the 
moment  shaken  them,  they  soon  recovered.  Mothers 
clasped  their  daughters  to  their  breasts  for  a  last  fare- 
well, and  then  all  with  bowed  heads  kneeled  and  listened 
in  silence  to  an  old  man  who  began  to  pray  aloud. 

Jean  e,  without  another  word,  had  taken  Virginie 's 
hands  and  accompanied  Harry  forward  to  the  fore  part 
of  the  deck. 

"Jeanne,  I  am  going  to  try  to  save  you  and  "Virginie, 
but  everything  depends  upon  your  being  cool  and  brave. 
I  need  not  urge  you,  because  I  am  sure  of  you.     Vir- 


m  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  259 

ginie,  will  you  try  to  be  so  for  Jeanne's  sake  and  your 
own?    If  you  do  not  we  must  all  die  together." 

"What  are  we  to  do,  Harry?"  Jeanne  said  steadily, 
while  Virginie  clung  to  her  sister,  sobbing  bitterly. 

"Fasten  this  bundle  of  corks  between  Virginie's 
shoulders,  high  up — yes,  there." 

"While  Jeanne  was  doing  this,  Harry  fastened  a  rope  to 
a  ring  in  the  side  of  the  hatch,  then  he  tied  the  corks  on 
to  Jeanne's  shoulders,  and  adjusted  the  third  bundle  to 
his  own.  "Now,  Jeanne,"  he  said,  "I  will  tell  you  what 
we  are  going  to  do.  You  see  this  hatch;  when  the 
vessel  sinks  it  will  float,  and  we  must  float  on  our  backs 
with  our  faces  underneath  it  so  that  it  will  hide  us  from 
the  sight  of  the  wretches  on  shore ;  and  even  if  they  put 
out  in  boats  to  kill  any  who  may  be  swimming  or  cling- 
ing to  spars,  they  will  not  suspect  that  there  is  any  one 
under  this.  "We  may  not  succeed;  an  accident  may 
betray  us,  but  there  is  a  possibility.  At  any  rate,  dear, 
we  shall  live  or  die  together." 

"I  am  content,"  Jeanne  said  quietly. 

"You  know,  Jeanne,"  Harry  said,  putting  his  hands 
on  the  girl's  shoulders,  "that  I  love  you;  I  should  never 
have  told  you  so  until  I  got  you  home  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  this;  but  though  I  have  never  said  it,  you  know  I  love 
you." 

"I  know,  Harry,  and  I  love  you  too  with  ail  my  heart; 
so  much  that  I  can  feel  almost  happy  that  we  are  going 
to  die  together.  We  are  affianced  now,  dear,  come  what 
will."     And  she  lifted  her  face  to  his. 

He  gave  her  one  long  kiss,  then  there  was  a  crash. 
Impatient  at  the  length  of  time  the  vessels  were  in  sink- 
ing, those  ashore  had  opened  fire  with  cannons  upon 
them,  and  the  shot  had  struck  the  lugger  just  above  the 
water. 


260  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"With  a  little  cry  "Virginie  fell  senseless  on  the  deck. 

"That's  the  best  thing  that  could  have  happened," 
Harry  said  as  Jeanne  stooped  over  her  sister.  "Lie 
down  on  the  deck,  dear,  or  you  may  be  struck ;  they  are 
firing  with  muskets  now.  I  am  going  to  lie  down  too," 
he  said  in  answer  to  her  look,  "but  I  shall  first  twist  this 
cord  round  Virginie  so  as  to  keep  her  arms  by  her  side, 
otherwise  when  the  water  touches  her  she  may  come  to 
her  senses  and  struggle.     That's  all  right." 

Then  he  lay  down  on  the  deck  between  the  girls  with 
his  head  against  the  hatch,  and  holding  the  rope. 

"Put  your  head  on  my  shoulder,  Jeanne,  and  I  will  put 
my  arm  round  you ;  I  will  hold  Virginie  the  same  way 
the  other  side.  Hold  tight  by  me  for  a  moment  as  we 
sink,  I  may  have  to  use  my  arms  to  get  the  hatch  over 
our  faces.  Do  not  breathe  while  you  are  under  the  water, 
for  we  shall,  no  doubt,  go  down  with  the  lugger,  although 
I  shall  try  to  keep  you  afloat ;  when  you  are  under  the 
hatch  you  will  find  you  will  float  with  your  mouth  well' 
out  of  water,  and  will  be  able  to  breathe ;  the  corks  will 
keep  you  up." 

"I  understand,  Harry;  now  let  us  pray  until  the  time 
comes." 

Shot  after  shot  struck  the  lugger,  then  Harry  felt  her 
give  a  sudden  lurch.  There  was  a  wild  cry  and  the  next 
moment  she  went  down  stern  first.  She  was  so  nearly 
even  with  the  water  when  she  sank,  that  there  was  less 
downward  suck  than  Harry  had  expected,  and  striking 
out  with  his  feet  his  head  was  soon  above  the  surface. 
The  cord  had  kept  the  hatch  within  a  couple  of  feet  of 
him,  and  with  some  difficulty,  owing  to  the  buoyancy  of 
the  corks,  he  thrust  himself  and  the  girls  under  it.  The 
tarpaulin  was  old  and  rotten,  and  the  light  penetrated  in 
several  places,  and  Harry  could  see  that,  in  the  position 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  261 

in  which  they  were  lying,  the  faces  of  both  girls  were 
above  the  water.  ^ 

It  was  useless  to  speak,  for  their  ears  were  submerged ; 
but  a  slight  motion  from  Jeanne  responded  to  a  pressure 
of  his  arm,  and  he  knew  that  she  was  sensible  although 
she  had  not  made  the  slightest  motion  from  the  moment 
the  vessel  sank.  Virginie  had  not,  as  ne  feared  would  be 
the  case,  recovered  her  senses  with  the  shock  of  the  im- 
mersion, but  lay  insensible  on  his  shoulder.  He  could 
see  by  the  movement  of  Jeanne's  lips  that  she  was  pray- 
ing, and  he  too  thanked  God  that  He  had  given  success 
to  the  plan  so  far,  and  prayed  for  protection  to  the  end. 

"With  every  minute  that  passed  his  hopes  rose ;  every- 
thing had  answered  beyond  his  expectation.  The  other 
victims  had  apparently  not  even  noticed  what  he  was 
doing,  and  therefore  had  not,  as  he  feared  might  be  the 
case,  interfered  with  his  preparations,  nor  had  any  of 
them  striven  to  gain  a  hold  on  the  hatchway.  The  sink- 
ing of  the  vessels,  and  the  tearing  up  of  the  water  by  the 
shot,  would  render  the  surface  disturbed  and  broken, 
and  decrease  the  chances  of  the  floating  hatch  attracting 
attention.  After  ten  minutes  had  passed  he  felt  certain 
that  they  must  be  below  the  point  where  the  troops  were 
assembled. 

The  tide  was  running  out  strong,  for  the  time  for  the 
massacre  had  been  fixed  at  an  hour  which  would  insure 
the  bodies  being  swept  down  to  the  sea.  Half  an  hour 
would,  he  thought,  take  them  past  the  bend,  where  their 
friends  would  be  waiting  for  them.  The  time  seemed 
endless,  for  although  Harry  felt  the  coldness  of  the  water 
but  little  for  himself,  he  knew  that  it  must  be  trying 
indeed  for  Jeanne.  As  far  as  he  could  see  her  face  it  was 
as  white  as  her  sister's;  but  he  had  hold  of  one  of  her 
hands  now,  and  knew  that  she  was  still  conscious. 


262    '  J3T  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

At  last  lie  heard  the  sound  of  oars.  It  might  not  be 
one  of  the  friendly  boats ;  but  the  probability  was  that  it 
was  one  or  other  of  them.  Had  they  seen  any  other 
fisherman's  boat  near  [the  point  they  would  have  rowed 
high  up  so  as  to  intercept  the  hatch  before  it  reached 
the  stranger.  Harry  could  not  hear  voices;  for  although 
the  water  had  conveyed  the  sound  of  the  oars  a  consider- 
able distance  he  could  hear  no  sound  in  the  air. 

The  oars  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  by  the  quickness 
with  which  the  strokes  followed  each  other  he  knew  that 
two  boats  were  at  hand.  Then  the  hatch  was  suddenly 
lifted,  and  as  Harry  raised  his  head  above  water  there 
was  a  loud  cheer,  and  he  saw  Adolphe  and  Pierre,  one  on 
each  side,  stretch  out  their  arms  to  him.  The  girls  were 
first  lifted  into  Pierre's  boat,  for  Jeanne  was  as  incapable 
of  movement  as  her  sister,  then  Harry  was  dragged  in, 
the  rough  sailors  shaking  his  hand  and  patting  him  on 
the  shoulder,  while  the  tears  ran  down  their  cheeks. 

"Give  them  some  hot  brandy  and  water,"  were  his  first 
words.  Pierre  had  a  kettle  boiling.  A  glass  of  hot 
liquor  was  placed  to  Jeanne's  lips. 

At  first  she  could  not  swallow,  but  after  a  few  drops 
had  passed  her  lips  she  was  able  to  take  a  sip,  and  would 
then  have  stopped,  but  Harry  insisted  upon  her  drinking 
the  whole  contents  of  the  glass. 

"You  must  do  as  you  are  told,  Jeanne,"  he  said  in  her 
ear.  "You  belong  to  me  now,  you  know.  It  can  do  you 
no  harm,  chilled  as  you  are,  and  may  save  you  from 
illness." 

In  the  meantime  Pierre  had  poured  several  spoonfuls 
of  nearly  neat  brandy  between  Virginie's  lips.  Adolphe, 
and  one  of  the  men  with  him,  had  changed  over  into 
Pierre's  boat,  and  were  rowing  lustily  down  the  river. 

As  soon  as  Jeanne  was  able  to  sit  up  she  began  to  chafe 
one  of  Virginie's  hands,  while  Harry  took  the  other. 


Jeanne  and  Virginie  rescued  from  the  Massacre.— Page  262. 
Reign  of  T.] 


1     -  *, 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  263 

"Take  off  her  shoes,  Pierre,  and  soak  a  swab  with  the 
hot  water  and  put  it  to  her  feet. ' ' 

But  with  all  these  efforts  it  was  not  until  ^they  were 
close  to  Pierre's  village  that  Virginie  opened  her  eyes. 
When  they  arrived  at  the  little  causeway  the  two  girls 
were  wrapped  up  in  the  peasants'  cloaks  which  Pierre  had 
brought  with  him.  Jeanne  took  Harry's  arm,  while 
Adolphe  lifted  Virginie  and  carried  her  up.  Henriette 
was  standing  at  the  door  as  Jeanne  staggered  in  with 
Harry. 

"That  is  right,  mademoiselle.  Thank  God  who  has 
brought  you  straight  through  the  danger.  Now,  do  not 
stop  a  moment,  but  come  in  here  and  get  into  bed,  it  is 
all  ready  for  you.  The  blankets  have  been  before  the  fire 
until  the  moment  you  landed ;  they  will  soon  give  you 
warmth.  Hurry  in,  mademoiselle;  I  will  undress  your 
sister.  And  do  you,  Monsieur  Sandwith,  hurry  up  to 
the  loft  and  get  on  dry  clothes." 

Harry  soon  rejoined  the  party  in  the  kitchen.  The 
strong  glass  of  hot  spirits  he  had  drunk  had  sent  the 
blood  quickly  through  his  veins,  and  he  felt  in  a  glow  of 
warmth. 

"Now, "  he  said,  "my  friends,  I  can  thank  you  all  for 
the  aid  you  have  given  us.  It  is  to  you  we  owe  our  lives, 
for  without  your  aid  I  never  should  have  succeeded." 

"Say  nothing  about  it,  monsieur.  We  are  happy  to 
have  saved  such  a  brave  young  man,  and  to  have  rescued 
two  victims  from  those  monsters." 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  danger  of  any  one  here 
taking  the  news  of  our  landing  to  the  town?"  Harry 
asked.  "They  must  have  seen  us  come  up  to  the 
cottage." 

"There  is  no  fear,"  Pierre  said  confidently.  "There 
is  not  a  man  or  woman  here  who  would  not  tear  the 


264  i3T  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

scelerats  to  pieces  if  they  had  the  chance.  Have  they 
not  spoiled  our  market  by  killing  all  our  best  customers? 
And  now  how  are  we  to  earn  our  living,  I  should  like  to 
know?  "Why,  not  even  the  poorest  beggar  in  Nantes 
would  buy  fish  out  of  the  river  for  months  after  this. 
No,  you  need  have  no  fear  of  them.  They  may  guess 
who  you  are,  but  it  is  no  business  of  theirs,  and  they  will 
hold  their  tongues." 

"At  any  rate,  Pierre,  you  had  better  distribute  a  few 
crowns  among  them,  to  help  them  live  till  the  fishing  is 
good  again." 

"That  I  will  do,  monsieur.  It  is  quite  safe;  but  it  is 
as  well  to  make  it  even  safer."  # 

In  half  an  hour  Pierre's  wife  came  in  from  the  inner 
room,  and  said  that  both  girls  were  sound  asleep. 

"Now,  Adolphe,  it  only  remains  for  you  to  arrange 
with  your  captain  for  our  passage." 

"That  I  will  do  this  afternoon,"  Adolphe  said  con- 
fidently.    "Consider  it  as  good  as  done." 

After  Adolph  had  started  for  the  town,  Harry  was  per- 
suaded by  Pierre  to  lie  down  for  a  bit ;  but  he  soon  gave 
up  the  idea  of  going  to  sleep.  His  brain  was  in  a  whirl 
from  the  events  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  and  above 
all  he  felt  so  brimming  over  with  happiness  that  the  girls 
had  been  saved  that  he  soon  found  it  impossible  to  lie 
still.  He  therefore  went  down  again  and  joined  Pierre, 
who  was  doing  some  repairs  to  his  boat. 

"It  is  no  use  my  trying  to  sleep,  Pierre.     I  am  too  de-" 
lighted  that  everything  has  turned  out  right.     I  want  to 
break  out  into  shouting  and  singing." 

"I  can  understand,  monsieur.  Yes,  yes.  After  great 
trouble  great  joy.  I  know  it  myself.  I  was  once  adrift 
in  a  boat  for  three  weeks.  I  was  on  a  voyage  to  Guada- 
loupe  when  we  were  blown  in  a  hurricane  on  a  'key,'  as 


Z2V  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  265 

they  call  the  low  sandy  islands  out  there.  It  was  in  fact 
no  more  than  a  sand-bank.  More  than  half  of  those  on 
board  were  drowned;  but  eight  of  us  got  ashore,  and  we 
managed  to  haul  up  a  woman  with  her  child  of  two  years 
old  in  her  arms. 

"We  though4-,  at  first  the  mother  was  dead,  but  she 
came  round.  The  ship  went  to  pieces  and  we  saved 
nothing.  The  currents  swept  everything  away  but  a 
boat,  which  had  been  thrown  up  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
waves.  For  two  days  we  had  no  food  or  water,  and 
suffered  terribly,  for  the  sun  had  shone  down  straight  on 
our  heads,  and  we  envied  those  who  had  died  at  once. 
The  women  set  us  a  good  example.  She  spent  her  time 
tending  her  child  and  praying  to  God;  and  we  sailors, 
who  are  rough,  you  know — but  who  know  that  God  pro- 
tects us/ and  never  go  for  a  long  voyage  without  going 
to  the  chapel  and  paying  for  a  mass  for  our  safety — we 
prayed  too,  and  the  third  morning  there  were  three  tur- 
tles asleep  on  the  shore.  "We  turned  them  over  on  their 
backs,  and  there  was  meat  for  us  for  a  long  time. 

"We  killed  one  and  drank  the  blood,  and  eat  our  first 
meal  raw.  Then  we  cut  up  the  rest  of  the  flesh  and 
hung  it  up  in  the  sun  to  dry-  That  very  night  we  saw 
the  clouds  banking  up,  and  knew  it  was  going  to  rain. 

"  'Now,'  our  mate  said,  'if  we  had  but  a  barrel  we 
could  catch  water  and  start  in  our  boat,  but  without  that 
the  water  will  last  only  a  day  or  two ;  for  if  we  kill  all 
the  turtles  and  fill  their  shells,  it  will  evaporate  in  a  day 
under  this  hot  sun,  and  it  may  be  weeks  before  there  is 
rain  again,  and  we  might  as  well  have  died  at  once.' 

"  'For  shame,'  the  woman  said.  'You  are  doubting 
the  good  God  again,  after  he  has  saved  your  life  and  has 
sent  you  food  and  is  now  going  to  send  you  water.  Do 
you  think  he  has  done  all  this  for  nothing?     There  must 


266  J2IT  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"be  some  way  out  of  the  difficulty  if  we  could  but  think 
of  it.' 

"She  sat  looking  at  the  turtle  for  two  or  three  minutes, 
and  then  said : 

"  'It  is  easy.  "Why  have  you  not  thought  of  it?  See 
there.  Cut  off  one  of  their  heads,  and  then  you  can  get 
your  arm  in,  if  you  take  the  biggest.  Then  cut  out  all 
the  meat  and  bones  piece  by  piece,  and  there  is  a  great 
bottle  which  will  hold  gallons. ' 

"We  shouted  for  joy,  for  it  was  as  she  said,  though  I 
am  sure  none  of  us  would  ever  have  thought  of  it  if  God 
had  not  given  her  the  idea.  We  soon  set  to  work  and 
got  the  shell  ready.  The  rain  storm  came  quickly.  We 
had  turned  the  boat  over,  the  oars  had  been  washed 
away,  but  the  mast  and  sail  were  lashed  to  the  thwarts. 
We  made  a  little  hollow  in  the  sand  and  stretched  out  the 
sail,  and  by  the  time  this  was  done  and  the  men  were 
ready  with  the  turtle-shell  the  rain  came.  When  it  rains 
in  those  parts  it  comes  down  in  bucketfuls,  and  we  soon 
had  enough  in  the  sail  to  drink  our  fill  and  to  fill  up  the 
turtle-shell  to  the  top. 

"The  nest  morning  we  got  the  boat  afloat,  put  the 
other  turtle  in,  with  our  stock  of  dried  flesh  and  our  shell 
of  water  and  set  sail.  But  our  luck  seemed  gone.  We 
lay  for  days  scarce  moving  through  the  water,  with  the 
sail  hanging  idle  and  the  sun  blazing  down  upon  us.  We 
had  not  been  careful  enough  of  the  water  at  first,  making 
sure  that  in  three  or  four  days  we  should  sight  land,  and 
when  after  three  days  we  put  ourselves  on  short  rations, 
there  was  scarce  a  gallon  of  water  left.  "**' 

"It  was  a  week  after  that  before  we  saw  a  sail.  Two  of 
the  men  had  jumped  overboard  raving  mad,  the  rest  were 
lying  well-nigh  senseless  in  the  bottom  of    the    boat. 

Only  the  woman  was  sitting  up,  holding  her  child  in 


ffl  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  26? 

her  arms.  She  was  very  weak  too;  but  she  had  never 
complained,  never  doubted  for  a  moment.  Her  eyes 
went  from  the  child's  face  over  the  sea  to  look  for  the 
help  she  felt  would  come,  and  back  again,  and  at  last  she 
said  quite  quiet  and  natural : 

"  'There  is  the  ship.  I  knew  it  must  come  to-day,  for 
my  child  could  not  live  through  another  night. ' 

""We  thought  she  was  dreaming  or  off  her  head.  But 
one  of  us  made  a  shift  to  stand  up  and  look,  and  when  he 
screamed  out  CA  sail!  a  sail!'  two  of  us  who  were  strong 
enough  looked  out  also.  There  she  was  and  sailing,  as 
we  could  soon  see,  on  a  line  as  directly  for  us  as  if  they 
had  our  bearings  and  had  been  sent  to  fetch  us. 

"It  was  not  until  evening  that  she  came  up,  though  she 
was  bringing  a  light  breeze  along  with  her.  And  when 
we  were  lifted  on  to  her  deck,  and  had  water  held  to  our 
lips,  and  knew  that  we  were  safe,  we  felt,  I  expect,  much 
the  same  as  you  do  now,  monsieur,  that  it  was  the  good 
God  himself  who  had  assuredly  saved  us  from  death. 
That  was  my  last  voyage,  for  Henriette  was  waiting  for 
me  at  home,  and  I  had  promised  her  that  after  we  had 
gone  to  church  together  I  would  go  no  more  to  distant 
countries,  but  would  settle  down  here  as  a  fisherman." 

"That  was  a  narrow  escape  indeed,  Pierre, "  Harry  said 
as  he  worked  away  with  the  tar  brush.  "That  idea  of 
the  turtle  was  a  splendid  one,  and  you  may  well  say  that 
God  put  it  into  the  woman's  head,  for  without  it  you 
could  never  have  lived  till  the  ship  found  you." 

In  the  meantime  Henriette  had  made  her  rounds  to  the 
cottages  to  see  what  remarks  had  been  made  as  to  the 
coming  of  her  visitors.  She  saw  that  everyone  had 
guessed  that  the  girls  who  had  been  picked  up  by  Pierre 
were  victims  of  the  [massacre,  but  no  one  supposed  that 
it  was  the  result  of  intention. 


268  -EV  TEE    REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Ah,  Mere  Gounard,  but  your  good  man  was  fortunate 
to-day,"  one  of  the  women  said.  "My  man  did  not  go 
out.  We  beard  what  was  doing  at  Nantes,  and  he  had  not 
the  heart  to  go;  beside,  who  would  buy  fish  caught 
to-day  ?  If  he  had  thought  of  it  he  would  have  gone 
too,  and  perhaps  he  would  have  picked  up  somebody,  as 
you  have  done.     Poor  things,  what  an  escape  for  them!" 

"It  is  wonderful  that  they  have  come  round,"  Hen- 
riette  said.  "It  was  luciy  my  husband  had  some  brandy 
in  the  boat.  He  thought  for  a  time  he  would  never  bring 
the  youngest  round.  They  are  only  young  girls.  What 
harm  could  they  have  done  that  those  monsters  at  Nantes 
should  try  to  murder  them.  There  is  no  fear,  I  hope, 
that  any  in  the  village  will  say  a  word  about  it." 

"WhatF?  ?Be  woman  said  indignantly,  "do  you  think 
that  any  one  here  would  betray  a  comrade  to  the  Reds? 
Why,  we  would  tear  him  in  pieces. " 

j  "No,  no,"  Henriette  said;  "I  never  thought  for  a 
moment  that  any  one  would  do  it;  intentional!}";  but  the 
boys  might  let  slip  a  word  carelessly  which  might  bring 
them  down  upon  us." 

"We  will  take  care  of  that,"  the  woman  said.  "Make 
your  mind  easy.  Not  a  soul  outside  the  village  will  ever 
know  of  it." 

■  "And,"  Henriette  added,  "one  of  them  has  some 
money  hidden  upon  her,  and  she  told  me  just  before  I 
came  out,  when  I  was  saying  that  the  village  would  have 
a  bad  time  now  the  fishing  was  spoiled — that  as  she 
hoped  to  cross  to  England  in  a  few  days,  and  would  have 
no  need  of  the  money,  for  it  seems  that  she  can  get 
plenty  over  there,  she  will  give  five  crowns  to  each  house 
in  the  village  as  a  thank-offering." 

"Well,  that  is  not  to  be  despised,"  the  woman  said. 
"We  shall  have  a  hard  time  of  it  for  a  bit,  and  that  will 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  269 

carry  us  on  through  it.  You  are  sure  she  can  spare  it; 
because  we  would  rather  starve  than  take  it  if  sh« 
cannot." 

Henri ette  assured  her  that  her  visitor  said  she  could: 
afford  it  well. 

"Well,  then,  it's  a  lucky  day  for  the  village,  Mere 
Gounard,  that  your  husband  picked  them  up." 

"Well,  I  wih  go  back  now, "  Henriette  said.  "Will 
you  go  round  the  village  and  tell  the  others  about  silenc- 
ing the  children.  I  must  get  some  broth  ready  by  the 
time  these  poor  creatures  wake." 

The  next  morning  Jeanne  appeared  at  breakfast  in  her 
dress  as  a  fisher-girl,  but  few  words  were  spoken  between 
her  and  Harry,  for  the  fisherman  and  his  wife  were 
present. 

"How  is  Virginie?"  he  asked. 

"She's  better,  but  she  is  weak  and  languid,  so  I  told 
her  she  must  stop  in  bed  for  to-day.  Do  not  look 
anxious.  I  have  no  doubt  that  she  will  be  well  enough 
to  be  up  to-morrow.  She  has  been  sleeping  ever  since 
she  went  to  bed  yesterday,  and  when  she  woke  she  had 
a  basin  of  broth.  I  think  by  to-morrow  she  will  be  well 
enough  to  get  up.  But  it  will  be  some  time  before  she 
is  herself  again.  It  is  a  terrible  strain  for  her  to  have 
gone  through,  but  she  was  very  brave  all  the  time  we 
were  in  prison.  She  had  such  confidence  in  you,  she 
felt  sure  that  you  would  manage*  somehow  to  rescue  us." 

After  breakfast  Jeanne  strolled  down  with  Harry  to 
the  riverside. 

"I  feel  strange  with  you,  Harry,"  she  said.  "Before 
you  seemed  almost  like  a  brother,  and  now  it  is  so 
different." 

"Yes;  but  happier?"  Harry  asked  gently. 

"Oh,  so  much  happier,  Harry!     But  there  is  one  thing 


270  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

I  want  to  tell  you.  It  might  seem  strange  to  you  that  I 
should  tell  you  I  loved  you  on  my  own  account  without 
your  speaking  to  the  head  of  the  family."  ^ 

"But  there  was  no  time  for  that,  Jeanne,"  Harry  said, 
smiling. 

"No,"  Jeanne  said  simply.  "I  suppose  it  would  have 
been  the  same  anyhow ;  but  I  want  to  tell  you,  Harry, 
that  in  the  first  letter  which  she  sent  me  when  she  was  in 
the  prison,  Marie  told  me  that  as  she  might  not  see  me 
again,  she  thought  it  right  I  should  know  that  our  father 
and  mother  had  told  her  that  night  we  left  home  that 
they  thought  I  cared  for  yoii.  You  didn't  think  so,  did 
you,  Harry?"  she  broke  off  with  a  vivid  blush.  "You 
did  not  think  I  cared  for  you  before  you  cared  for  me?" 

"No,  indeed,  Jeanne, "  he  said  earnestly.  "It  never 
entered  my  mind.  You  see,  dear,  up  to  the  beginning  of 
that  time  I  only  felt  as  a  boy,  and  in  England  lads  of 
eighteen  or  nineteen  seldom  think  about  such  things  at 
all.  It  was  only  afterward,  when  somehow  the  danger 
and  the  anxiety  seemed  to  make  a  man  of  me,  when  I  saw 
how  brave  and  thoughtful  and  unselfish  you  were,  that  I 
knew  I  loved  you,  and  felt  that  if  you  could  some  day 
love  me,  I  should  be  the  happiest  fellow  alive.  Before 
that  I  thought  of  you  as  a  dear  little  girl  who  was  in- 
clined to  make  rather  too  much  of  me  because  of  that  dog 
business.     And  did  you  really  care  for  me  then?" 

"I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  way,  Harry,  any  more 
than  you  did,  but  I  know  now  that  my  mother  was  right, 
and  that  I  loved  you  all  along  without  knowing  it.  My 
dear  father  and  mother  told  Marie  that  they  thought  I 
was  fond  of  you,  and  that,  if  at  any  time  you  should  get 
fond  of  me  too  and  ask  for  my  hand,  they  gave  their  ap- 
proval beforehand,  for  they  were  sure  that  you  would 
make  me  happy.     So  they  told  Marie  and  Ernest,  who, 


IF  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  271 

it  ill  came  to  them,  would  be  the  heads  of  the  family, 
that  I  had  their  consent  to  marry  you.  It  makes  me 
happy  to  know  this,  Harry." 

"I  am  very  glad,  too,  dear,"  Harry  said  earnestly. 
"It  is  very  satisfactory  for  you^  and  it  is  very  pleasant  to 
me  to  know  that  they  had  such  a  good  opinion  of  me,  and 
that  they  were  ready  to  trust  you  to  me.  Ah!"  he  said 
suddenly,  "that  was  what  was  in  the  letter.  I  wondered 
a  little  at  the  time,  for  somehow  after  that,  Jeanne,  you 
were  a  little  different  with  me.  I  thought  at  first  I  might 
somehow  have  offended  you.  But  I  did  not  think  that 
long, "  he  went  on,  as  Jeanne  uttered  an  indignant  ex- 
clamation, "because  if  anything  offended  you,  you 
always  spoke  out  frankly.  Still  I  wondered  over  it  for 
some  time,  and  certainly  I  was  never  near  guessing  the 
truth." 

"I  could  not  help  being  a  little  different, "  Jeanne  said 
shyly.  "I  had  never  thought  of  it  before,  and  though  I 
am  sure  it  made  me  happy,  I  could  not  feel  quite  the 
same  with  you,  especially  as  I  knew  that  you  never 
thought  of  me  like  that." 

"But  you  .thought  of  me  so  afterward,  Jeanne?" 

"Sometimes  just  for  a  moment,  but  I  tried  not  to  think 
of  it,  Harry.  We  were  so  strangely  placed,  and  it  made 
it  easier  for  you  to  be  a  brother,  and  I  felt  sure  you 
would  not  speak  till  we  were  safely  in  England,  and  I 
was  in  Ernest's  care.  But," she  said  with  a  little  laugh, 
"you  were  nearly  speaking  that  evening  in  the  cottage 
when  you  felt  so  despairing." 

"Very  nearly,  Jeanne;  I  did  so  want  comfort." 

And  so  they  talked  happily  together  for  an  hour. 

"I  wonder  Pierre  does  not  come  down  to  his  boat," 
Harry  said  "at  last.  "There  were  several  more  things 
wanting  doing  to  it.     "Why,  there  he  ^is  calling.     Surely 


272  XIV  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

it  can  never  be  dinner-time;  but  that's  what  he  says.  It 
doesn't  seem  an  hour  since  breakfast." 

Jeanne  hurried  on  into  the  hut. 

"Why,  Pierre,"  Harry  said  to  the  fisherman,  who  was 
waiting  outside  for  him,  "I  thought  you  were  going  on 
with  your  boat." 

"So  I  was,  monsieur,  but  Henriette  told  me  I  should 
be  in  the  way." 

"In  the  way,  Pierre!"  Harry  repeated  in  surprise. 

"Ah,  monsieur,"  Pierre  said  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  "you  have  been  deceiving  us.  My  wife  saw  it  in  a 
moment  when  the  young  lady  came  to  breakfast. 

"  'Brother!'  she  said  to  me  when  you  went  out;  'don't 
tell  me!  Monsieur  is  the  young  lady's  lover.  Brother 
and  sister  don't  look  at  each  other  like  that.  "Why,  one 
could  see  it  with  half  an  eye.'  " 

"Your  wife  is  right,  Pierre;  mademoiselle  is  my 
fiancee.  I  am  really  an  Englishman.  She  and  her  sister 
had  their  old  nurse  with  them,  till  the  latter  died  some 
three  weeks  since ;  but  I  have  always  been  called  their 
brother,  because  it  made  it  easier  for  her." 

"Quite  right,  monsieur;  but  my  wife  and  I  are  glad  to 
see  that  it  is  otherwise,  and  that,  after  all  you  have 
risked  for  that  pretty  creature,  you  are  going  to  be  happy 
together.  My  wife  was  not  surprised.  Women  are 
sharper  than  men  in  these  matters,  and  she  said  to  me, 
when  she  heard  what  you  were  going  to  do  to  save  them, 
CI  would  wager,  Pierre,  that  one  of  these  mesdemoiselles 
is  not  monsieur's  sister.  Men  will  do  a  great  deal  for 
their  sister,  but  I  never  heard  of  a  man  throwing  away 
his  life  as  he  is  going  to  do  on  the  mere  chance  of  saving 
one.'  " 

"I  should  have  done  just  the  same  had  it  been  one  of 
my  sisters,"  Harry  said  a  little  indignantly. 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  273 

"Perhaps  you  would,  monsieur,  I  do  not  say  no,"  the 
fisherman  said,  shaking  his  head;  "but  brothers  do  not 
often  do  so." 

A  stop  was  put  to  the  conversation  by  Henriette  put- 
ting her  head  outside  the  door  and  demanding  angrily 
what  they  were  stopping  talking  there  for  when  the  fish 
was  getting  cold. 

In  the  evening  Adolphe  and  his  wife  came  in. 

"Ah,  mademoiselle,"  the  woman  said  as  she  embraced 
Jeanne  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  "how  thankful  I  am  to  see 
you  again !  I  never  thought  I  should  do  so.  My  heart 
almost  stopped  beating  yesterday  when  I  heard  the  guns. 
I  and  my  little  one  were  on  our  knees  praying  to  the 
good  God  for  the  dear  lady  who  had  saved  her  life. 
Adolphe  had  spoken  hopefully,  but  it  hardly  seemed  to 
me  that  it  could  be,  and  when  he  brought  back  the  news 
that  he  had  left  you  all  safely  here,  I  could  hardly  believe 
it  was  true." 

"And  I  must  thank  you  also,  mademoiselle,"  Adolphe 
said,  "for  saving  the  life  of  my  little  one.  I  never  ex- 
pected to  see  hev  alive  again,  and  when  the  lugger  made 
fast  to  the  wharf  I  was  afraid  to  go  home,  and  I  hung 
about  till  Marthe  had  heard  we  were  in  and  came  down 
to  me  with  Julie  in  her  arms,  looking  almost  herself 
again.  Ah,  mademoiselle,  you  cannot  tell  how  my  heart 
leaped  with  joy,  and  how  I  felt  when  Marthe  told  me  how 
much  you  had  done  for  us,  and  how  glad  I  was  when  she 
told  me  that  there  was  a  way  of  paying  some  part  of  my 
debt  to  you." 

"You  have  been  able  to  pay  more  than  your  debt," 
Jeanne  said  gently;  "if  I  saved  one  life  you  have  helped 
to  save  three. ' ' 

"No,  we  shall  be  only  quits,  mademoiselle,  for  what 
would  Marthe's  life  and  mine  be  worth  if  the  child  had 
died. 


274  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"There  are  fresh  notices  stuck  up,"  he  went  on, 
"warning  all  masters  of  ships,  fishermen  and  others, 
against  taking  passengers  on  board,  and  saying  that  the 
penalty  of  assisting  the  enemies  of  France  to  escape  from 
justice  is  death." 

"That  is  rather  serious,"  Harry  said. 

"It  is  nothing,"  Adolphe  replied  confidently.  "After 
yesterday's  work  there  is  not  a  sailor  or  fisherman  in  the 
port  but  would  do  all  he  could  to  help  people  to  escape 
from  the  hands  of  the  butchers,  and  once  on  board  it  will 
help  you.  You  may  be  sure  the  sailors  will  do  their 
best  to  run  away  if  they  can,  or  to  hide  any  on  board, 
should  they  be  overhauled,  now  they  know  that  they 
will  be  guillotined  if  any  one  is  found.  However,  our 
captain  has  made  the  agreement,  and  he  is  a  man  of  his 
word;  beside,  he  hates  the  Eeds.  I  have  been  helping 
ship  the  casks  to-day,  and  we  have  stowed  them  so  as  to 
leave  space  into  which  your  sisters  can  crawl  and  the 
entrance  be  stopped  up  with  casks,  if  we  should  be  ovei*- 
hauled.  As  for  you,  monsieur,  you  will  pass  anywhere 
as  one  of  the  crew,  and  we  have  arranged  that  one  of  the 
men  shall  at  the  last  moment  stay  behind,  so  that  the 
number  will  be  right,  and  you  will  answer  to  his  name. 
We  have  thought  matters  over,  you  see,  and  I  can  tell 
you  that  the  captain  does  it  more  because  he  hates  the 
Eeds  than  for  the  money.  The  day  before  he  would  give 
me  no  answer.  He  said  he  thought  the  risk  was  too 
great;  but  when  I  saw  him  last  night  he  was  a  different 
man  altogether.  His  face  was  as  white  as  a  sheet,  and 
his  eyes  seemed  on  fire,  and  he  said,  'I  will  take  your 
friends,  Adolphe.  I  would  take  them  without  a  penny. 
I  should  never  sleep  again  if,  owing  to  me,  they  fell  into 
the  hands  of  these  monsters. '  So  you  see  he  is  in  it 
.heart  and  soul. ' ' 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  276 

After  half  an  hour's  talk  Adolphe  and  Marthe  took 
their  leave.  Both  refused  the  reward  which  Harry  had 
promised,  but  Harry  insisted,  and  at  last  Jeanne  said : 

"You  can  refuse  for  yourselves,  but  you  will  make  me 
unhappy  if  you  do  not-  take  it.  Put  it  by  for  Julie ;  it 
will  help  swell  her  dot  when  she  marries,  and  will  set  her 
husband  up  in  a  good  fishing-boat  if  she  takes  to  a 
sailor." 

So  it  was  arranged,  and  Adolphe  and  his  wife  went  off 
invoking  blessings  on  the  heads  of  the  fugitives.  At 
daybreak  the  party  took  their  places  in  the  boat  with  the 
fishermen.  Virginie  was  still  weak,  but  was  able  to  walk 
with  Harry's  help.  Half  an  hour  later  a  lugger  was  seen 
coming  down  with  the  wind  and  tide.  She  carried  a 
small  white  flag  flying  on  the  mizzen. 

"That  is  her,"  the  fisherman  said;  "that  is  the 
signal." 

He  rowed  out  into  the  middle  of  the  river.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  lugger  came  dashing  along;  her  course  took 
her  within  a  few  feet  of  the  boat,  a  rope  was  thrown,  and 
in  an  instant  the  boat  was  tearing  through  the  water 
alongside  her.  Half  a  dozen  hands  were  stretched  out, 
the  girls  and  Harry  sprang  on  board,  the  rope  was  cast 
off,  and  the  fisherman,  with  a  cheery  "God  speed  you," 
put  out  his  oars  again  and  rowed  to  shore. 


276  ET  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 


CHAPTEE  XV. 


"Go  below,  mesdemoiselles, "  the  captain  of  the  lugger 
said  as  soon  as  they  had  put  foot  on  the  deck.  "If  any- 
one on  the  shore  were  to  see  us  as  we  ran  down,  and 
notice  women  on  deck,  he  would  think  it  strange.  At 
any  rate  it's  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side. " 

So  saying  he  led  the  way  to  his  cabin  below. 

"It  is  a  rough  place,  mesdemoiselles,"  he  said,  remov- 
ing his  cap,  "but  it  is  better  than  the  prisons  at  Nantes. 
I  am  sorry  to  say  that  when  we  get  down  near  the  forts 
I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  hide  down  below  the  casks.  I 
heard  last  night  that  in  future  every  boat  going  out  of 
the  river,  even  if  it  is  only  a  fishing  boat,  is  to  be 
searched.  But  you  needn't  be  afraid;  we  have  con- 
structed a  hiding-place,  where  they  will  never  find  you 
unless  they  unloaded  the  whole  lugger,  and  that  there  is 
no  chance  of  their  doing." 

"We  do  not  mind  where  we  hide,  captain,"  Jeanne 
said.  ""We  have  been  hiding  for  the  last  six  months,  and 
we  are  indeed  grateful  to  you  for  having  consented  to 
take  us  with  you." 

"I  hope  that  you  will  not  be  the  last  that  the  Trois 
Freres  will  carry  across,"  the  captain  said.  "Whatever 
be  the  risk,  in  future  I  will  take  any  fugitives  who  wish 
to  escape  to  England.  At  first  I  was  against  the  govern- 
ment, for  I  thought  the  people  were  taxed  too  heavily, 
and  that  if  we  did  away  with  the  nobles  things  would  be 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  2T7 

better  for  those  who  "work  for  their  living,  but  I  never 
bargained  for  bloodshed  and  murder,  and  that  affair  I 
saw  yesterday  has  sickened  me  altogether;  and  fond  as  I 
am  of  the  Trois  Freres,  I  would  myself  bore  holes  in  her 
and  sink  her  if  I  had  Carrier  and  the  whole  of  his  mur- 
derous gang  securely  fastened  below  hatches.  This  cabin 
is  at  your  disposal,  mesdemoiselles,  during  the  voyage, 
and  I  trust  [you  will  make  yourselves  as  comfortable  as 
you  can.  Ah,  here  is  the  boy  with  coffee.  Now,  if  you 
will  permit  me,  I  will  go  on  deck  and  look  after  her 
course." 

In  the  meantime  Harry  was  chatting  with  Adolphe, 
who  introduced  him  to  the  crew,  whom  he  had  already 
told  of  the  services  Jeanne  had  rendered,  and  as  several 
of  them  lived  in  the  same  street  they  too  had  heard  from 
their  wives  of  the  young  woman  who  lodged  with  Mere 
Leflo  and  had  done  so  much  for  those  who  were  suffer- 
ing. He  was  therefore  cordially  received  by  the  sailors, 
to  each  of  whom  the  captain  had  already  promised  double 
pay  for  the  voyage  if  they  got  through  safely. 

"You  will  remember,"  Adolphe  said,  "that  you  are 
Andre  Lebceuf.  Andre  had  to  make  a  cold  swim  of  it 
this  morning,  for  there  was  the  commissary  on  the  wharf 
when  we  started,  and  he  had  the  captain's  list  of  the 
crew,  and  saw  that  each  man  was  on  board,  and  searched 
high  and  low  to  see  that  there  was  no  one  else.  So 
Andre,  instead  of  slippiag  off  home  again,  had  to  go 
with  us.  "When  we  were  out  of  sight  of  the  town  the  cap- 
tain steered  as  near  the  bank  as  he  could  and  Andre 
jumped  over  and  swam  ashore.  It  is  all  the  better  as  it 
has  turned  out,  because  the  commissary  signed  the  list  of 
the  crew  and  put  a  seal  to  it." 

In  four  hours  the  Trois  Freres  was  approaching  the 
forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  the  captain  came 


£78  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

down  to  the  cabin  in  which  Harry  was  chatting  with  the 
two  girls.  » 

I  "Now,  mesdemoiselles, "  he  said,  "it  is  time  for  you  to 
go  to  your  hiding-place,  for  it  will  take  us  nearly  half  an 
hour  to  close  it  up  again.  As  soon  as  the  Eeds  have  left 
us  we  will  let  you  out." 

The  hatch  was  lifted  and  they  descended  into  the  hold 
of  the  vessel,  which  was  full  of  kegs  to  within  three  feet 
of  the  deck.     The  captain  carried  a  lantern, 
i     "Please  follow  me,   mesdemoiselles,   you  must  crawl 
along  here. ' ' 

The  girls  followed  him  until  they  were  close  to  the 
bulkhead  dividing  the  hold  from  the  forecastle.  Two 
feet  from  this  there  was  a  vacant  space. 

"Now,  mesdemoiselles,  if  you  will  give  me  your  hands 
I  will  lower  you  down  here.  Do  not  be  afraid — your  feet 
will  toiich  the  bottom ;  and  I  have  had  some  hay  put  there 
for  you  to  sit  upon.  Adolphe,  you  had  better  go  down 
first  with  that  lantern  of  yours  to  receive  them." 

The  girls  were  lowered  down  and  found  themselves  in 
a  space  five  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide.  One  side  was 
formed  by  the  bulkhead,  on  the  other  there  were  kegs. 
Four  feet  from  the  bottom  a  beam  of  wood  had  been 
nailed  against  the  bulkhead.  The  captain  now  handed 
down  to  Adolphe  some  short  beams ;  these  he  fixed  with 
one  end  resting  on  the  beam,  the  other  in  a  space  between 
the  kegs. 

"This  is  to  form  the  roof,  mesdemoiselles,"  he  said. 
"I  am  going  up  now,  and  then  we  shall  place  three  tiers 
of  kegs  on  these  beams,  which  will  fill  it  up  level  with 
the  rest  above.  I  think  you  will  have  plenty  of  air,  for 
it  can  get  down  between  the  casks,  and  the  captain  will 
leave  the  hatchway  open.     Are  you  comfortable?" 

"Quite,"   Joanne   said  firmly,  but  Virginie   did   not 


ffl  THE  REIGfr  OF  TERROR.  279* 

answer ;  the  thought  of  being  shut  up  down  there  in  the 
dark  was  terrible  to  her.  However,  the  warm,  steady 
pressure  of  Jeanne's  hand  reassured  her,  and  she  kept 
her  fears  to  herself.  The  kegs  were  lowered  into  their 
places,  and  all  was  made  smooth  just  as  one  of  the  men 
called  down  the  hatchway  to  the  captain : 

"There  is  a  gunboat  coming  out  from  the  port,  captain. " 

After  a  last  look  round  the  captain  sprang  on  to  the 
deck  and  ordered  the  sails  to  be  lowered,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  gunboat  ran  alongside.  "Show  me  your 
papers, "  an  officer  said  as  he  leaped  on  board  followed  bj* 
half  a  dozen  sailors.  The  captain  went  down  into  his 
cabin  and  brought  up  the  papers. 

"That  is  all  right,"  the  officer  said,  glancing  at  them; 
"now,  where  is  the  list  of  your  crew?" 

"This  is  it,"  the  captain  said,  taking  it  from  his 
pocket;  "a  commissary  at  Nantes  went  through  them  on 
starting  and  placed  his  seal  to  it  as  you  see." 

"Form  the  men  up,  and  let  them  answer  to  their 
names, "  the  officer  said.  The  men  formed  in  line  and 
the  officer  read  out  the  names,  Harry  answering  for 
Andre  Lebceuf.  "That  is  all  right,  so  far, "  the  officer 
said.  "Now,  sir,  I  must,  according  to  my  orders,  search 
your  vessel  to  see  that  no  one  is  concealed  there." 

"By  all  means,"  the  captain  said,  "jrou  will  find  the 
Trois  Freres  carries  nothing  contraband  except  her  cargo. 
I  have  already  taken  off  the  hatch,  as  you  see,  in  order 
to  save  time."  The  forecastle  and  cabin  were  first 
searched  closely.  Several  of  the  sailors  then  descended 
into  the  hold.     Two  lanterns  were  handed  down  to  them. 

"It  looks  all  clear,  sir,"  one  of  the  sailors  said  to  their 
officer.  The  latter  leaped  down  on  to  the  kegs  and  looked 
round. 

"Yes,  it  looks  all  right,  but  you  had  better  shift  some 


280  iy  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

of  the  kegs  and  see  that  all  is  solid."  Some  of  the  kegs 
were  moved  from  their  position,  and  in  a  few  places  some 
of  the  second  tier  were  also  lifted.  The  officer  himself 
superintended  the  search. 

"I  think  I  can  let  you  go  on  now,  Captain  Grignaud," 
he  said.  "Your  men  can  stow  the  cargo  again.  A  good 
voyage  to  you,  and  may  you  meet  with  no  English 
cruisers  by  the  way." 

The  captain  at  once  gave  orders  for  the  sails  to  be  run 
up  again,  and  by  the  time  the  officer  and  his  men  had 
climbed  over  the  bulwarks  into  the  gunboat  the  Trois 
Freres  had  already  way  upon  her.  The  captain  then 
gave  the  orders  for  the  men  to  go  below  and  stow  the 
casks  again.  Adolphe  and  Harry  were  the  first  to  leap 
down,  and  before  the  vessels  were  two  hundred  yards* 
apart  they  had  removed  the  two  uppermost  tiers  of  kegs 
next  to  the  bulkhead,  and  were  able  to  speak  to  the  girls. 

"Are   you   all   right     down    there,    Jeanne?"    Harry 


"Yes,  quite  right,  Harry,  though  the  air  is  rather 
close.  Yirginie  has  fainted;  she  was  frightened  when 
she  heard  them  moving  the  kegs  just  over  our  heads;  but 
she  will  come  round  as  soon  as  you  get  her  on  deck." 

The  last  tier  was  removed,  and  Harry  lowered  himself 
into  the  hold;  he  and  Jeanne  raised  Virginie  until 
Adolphe  and  one  of  the  other  sailors  could  reach  her. 
Jeanne  was  lifted  on  to  the  cross  beams,  and  was  soon 
beside  her  sister,  and  Harry  quickly  clambered  up. 

"They  must  not  come  on  deck  yet,"  the  captain  said, 
speaking  down  the  hatchway.  We  are  too  close  to  the 
gunboat,  and  from  the  forts  with  their  glasses  they  can 
see  what  is  passing  on  our  deck.  Don't  replace  the 
kegs  over  the  hole  again,  Adolphe;  we  may  be  over- 
hauled again,  and  had  better  leave  it  open  in  case  of 
emergencies." 


IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  281 

"Virginia  was  carried  under  the  open  hatchway ;  some 
water  was  handed  down  to  Jeanne,  who  sprinkled  it  on 
her  face,  and  this  with  the  fresh  air  speedily  brought 
her  round.  When  the  lugger  was  a  mile  below  the 
forts,  the  captain  said  that  they  could  now  safely  come 
up,  and  they  were  soon  in  possession  of  the  cabin  again. 
Before  evening  the  lugger  was  out  of  sight  of  land.  The 
wind  was  blowing  freshly,  and  she  raced  along,  leaving  a 
broad  track  of  foam  behind  her.  The  captain  and  crew 
were  in  high  spirits  at  having  succeeded  in  carrying  off 
the  fugitives  from  under  the  noses  of  their  enemies,  and 
at  the  progress  the  lugger  was  making. 

"We  shall  not  be  far  from  the  coast  of  England  by  to- 
morrow night,"  the  captain  said  to  Harry,  "that  is  if  we 
have  the  luck  to  avoid  meeting  any  of  the  English 
cruisers.  We  don't  care  much  for  the  revenue  cutters, 
for  there  is  not  one  of  them  that  can  overhaul  the  Trois 
Freres  in  a  wind  like  this.  They  have  all  had  more  than 
one  try,  but  we  can  laugh  at  them ;  but  it  would  be  a 
different  thing  if  we  fell  in  with  one  of  the  Channel 
cruisers ;  in  a  light  wind  we  could  keep  away  from  them 
too,  but  with  a  brisk  wind  like  this  we  should  have  no 
chance  with  them;  they  carry  too  much  sail  for  us. 
There  is  the  boy  carrying  in  the  supper  to  your  sisters ; 
with  their  permission,  you  and  I  will  sup  with  them." 

The  captain  sent  in  a  polite  message  to  the  girls,  and 
on  the  receipt  of  the  answer  that  they  would  be  very 
pleased  to  have  the  captain's  company,  he  and  Harry 
went  down.  The  meal  was  an  excellent  one,  but  the 
girls  ate  but  little,  for  they  were  both  beginning  to  feel 
the  effects  of  the  motion  of  the  vessel,  for  they  had,  when 
once  fairly  at  sea,  kept  on  deck.  The  captain  perceiving 
that  they  ate  but  little  proposed  to  Harry  that  coffee 
should  be  served  on  deck,  so  that  the  ladies  might  at 
once  lie  down  for  the  night. 


282  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Now,  captain,"  Harry  said  as  the  skipper  lit  his 
pipe,  "I  dare  say  you  would  like  to  hear  how  we  came  to 
be  fugitives  on  board  your  ship." 

"If  you  have  no  objection  to  tell  me,  I  should  indeed," 
the  captain  replied;  "I  have  been  wondering  all  day  how 
you  young  people  escaped  the  search  for  suspects  so  long, 
and  how  you  [came  to  be  at  Nantes,  where,  as  Adolphe 
tells  me,  your  sister  was  an  angel  among  the  poor,  and 
that  you  yourself  were  a  member  of  the  Revolutionary 
Committee ;  that  seemed  to  me  the  most  extraordinary  of 
all,  but  I  wouldn't  ask  any  questions  until  you  yourself 
volunteered  to  enlighten  me." 

Harry  thereupon  related  the  whole  story  of  their  ad- 
ventures, concealing  only  the  fact  that  the  girls  were  not 
his  sisters ;  as  it  was  less  awkward  for  Jeanne  that  this 
relationship  should  be  supposed  to  exist. 

"  Sapriste,  your  adventures  have  been  marvelous,  mon- 
sieur, and  I  congratulate  you  heartily.  Tou  have  a  rare 
head  and  courage,  and  yet  you  cannot  be  above  twenty." 

"I  am  just  nineteen,"  Harry  replied. 

"Just  nineteen,  and  you  succeeded  in  getting  your 
friend  safely  out  of  that  mob  of  scoundrels  in  the  Abbaye, 
got  your  elder  sister  out  [of  La  Force,  you  fooled  Kobe- 
spierre  and  the  Revolutionists  in  Nantes,  and  you  carried 
those  two  girls  safely  through  France,  rescued  them  from 
the  white  lugger,  and  got  them  on  board  the  Trois 
Freres!  it  sounds  like  a  miracle." 

"The  getting  them  on  board  the  Trois  Freres  was,  you 
must  remember,  my  sister's  work.  I  had  failed  and  was 
in  despair.  Suspicions  were  already  aroused,  and  we 
should  assuredly  have  been  arrested  if  it  had  not  been 
that  she  had  won  the  heart  of  Adolphe's  wife  by  nursing 
her  child  in  its  illness." 

"That  is  so,"  the  captain   agreed;  "and  they  must 


IN  THE  HEIGHT  OF  TERROR.  283 

Lave  good  courage  too  that  they  did  not  betray  them- 
selves all  that  time.  And  now  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will 
do,  monsieur.  If  you  will  write  a  letter  to  your  sister  in 
Paris,  saying  that  you  and  [the^  other  two  have  reached 
England  in  safety,  I  will  when  I  return  send  it  by  sure 
hand  to  Paris.  To  make  all  safe  you  had  better  send  it 
to  the  people  she  is  staying  with,  and  word  it  so  that  no 
one  will  understand  it  if  they  were  to  read  it.  Say,  for 
example : 

"  'My  dear  Sister:  You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  the 
consignment  of  lace  has  been  safely  landed  in  England. ' 
Then  you  can  go  on  saying  that  'your  mother  is  better, 
and  that  you  expect  to  be  married  soon,  as  you  have  made 
a  good  profit  out  of  the  lace,'  and  so  on;  and  just  sign 
your  name — 'Your  brother,  Henri.' 

"I  can  trust  the  man  who  will  deliver  it  in  Paris,  but 
it  is  just  as  well  always  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  If  your 
letter  is  opened  and  read,  any  one  will  suppose  that  it  is 
written  by  a  sailor  belonging  to  one  of  the  Nantes 
luggers." 

Harry  thanked  the  captain  warmly  for  the  offer,  and 
said  that  the  letter  would  indeed  be  an  immense  comfort 
to  his  sister  and  friend. 

"I  will  tell  the  man  that  he  is  to  ask  if  there  is  any 
answer,"  the  captain  said.  "And  if  your  sister  is  as 
sharp  as  you  are  she  will  write  the  same  sort  of  letter, 
and  I  will  bring  it  across  with  me  to  England  the  first 
voyage  I  make  after  I  get  it." 

Harry  slept  down  in  the  forecastle  with  the  crew,  the 
captain  keeping  on  deck  all  night.  He  was  awoke  by  an 
order  shouted  down  the  forecastle  for  all  hands  to  come 
on  deck;  and  hurrying  up  with  the  rest  found  that  the 
sun  had  just  risen.  The  day  was  beautifully  fine,  and  to 
Harry's  surprise  he  found  that  those  on  deck  had  already 
lowered  the  great  lugsails. 


284  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"What  is  it,  captain?"  he  asked. 

"There  is  a  sail  there  I  don't  like,"  the  captain  said. 
"If  I  am  not  mistaken  that  is  an  English  frigate." 

There  were  several  sails  in  sight,  but  the  one  to  which 
the  captain  pointed  was  crossing  ahead  of  the  lugger. 
Her  hull  could  not  be  seen,  and  indeed  from  the  deck 
only  her  topsails  and  royals  were  visible  above  the  water. 

"I  hope  she  will  not  see  us,"  the  captain  said.  "We 
are  low  in  the  water,  and  these  stump  masts  could  not 
be  seen  at  that  distance  even  by  a  lookout  at  the  mast- 
head. 

"We  are  already  somewhat  astern  of  her,  and  every 
minute  will  take  her  further  away.  If  she  does  not  see 
us  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  we  shall  be  safe.  If  she  does, 
there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  run  back  toward  the  French 
coast.  We  should  have  buch  a  long  start  that  with  this 
wind  she  would  never  catch  us.  But  she  may  fire  her 
guns  and  bring  another  cruiser  down  upon  us  and  cut  us 
off.  There  are  a  dozen  of  them  watching  on  different 
parts  of  the  coast." 

'  Harry  kept  an  eye  anxiously  upon  the  ship,  but  she 
sailed  steadily  on ;  and  in  half  an  hour  the  sails  were 
again  hoisted  and  the  Trois  Freres  proceeded  on  her 
way.  She  passed  comparatively  near  several  merchant- 
men, but  these  paid  no  attention  to  her.  She  was  too 
small  for  a  privateer,  and  her  object  and  destination  were 
easily  guessed  at.  The  girls  soon  came  on  deck,  and  the 
captain  had  some  cushions  placed  for  them  under  shelter 
of  the  bulwark ;  for  although  the  sun  was  shining  brightly 
the  wind  was  keen  and  piercing. 

"Are  we  beyond  danger?"  was  Virginie's  first  ques~ 
tion  as  Harry  took  his  seat  by  her. 

"Beyond  all  danger  of  being  overtaken — that  is  to  say, 
beyond  all  danger  of  meeting  a  French  vessel-of-war. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  285 

They  very  seldom  venture  to  show  themselves  many  miles 
from  port,  except,  of  course,  as  a  fleet ;  for  single  vessels 
would  soon  get  picked  up  by  our  cruisers.  Yes,  I  think 
we  are  quite  out  of  danger.  There  is  only  one  chance 
against  us. " 

"And  what  is  that,  Harry?"  Jeanne  asked. 

"It  is  not  a  serious  one,"  Harry  replied;  "it  is  only 
that  we  may  be  chased  by  English  revenue  cutters  and 
forced  to  run  off  from  the  English  coast  again.  But  even 
then  we  should  soon  return.  Beside,  I  have  no  doubt 
the  captain  would  let  us  have  a  boat,  so  that  we  could  be 
picked  up  by  the  cutter  in  pursuit  of  us." 

"I  don't  think  that  would  be  a  good  plan,"  Jeanne 
said;  "because  they  might  not  stop  to  pick  us  up,  and 
then  we  might  have  a  long  way  to  reach  the  shore.  No, 
I  think  it  will  be  better  to  stay  on  board,  Harry ;  for,  as 
you  say,  if  she  does  have  to  run  away  for  a  time,  she  is 
sure  to  come  back  again  to  unload  her  cargo.  But  of 
course  do  whatever  you  think  best." 

"I  think  your  view  is  the  best,  Jeanne.  However,  I 
hope  the  opportunity  will  not  occur,  and  that  the  Trois 
Freres  will  run  her  cargo  without  interference.  The 
captain  tells  me  he  is  making  for  a  point  on  the  Dorset- 
shire coast,  and  that  he  is  expected.  Of  course  he  could 
not  say  the  exact  day  he  would  be  there.  But  he  told 
them  the  [day  on  which,  if  he  could  get  his  cargo  on 
board,  he  should  sail,  and  they  will  be  looking  out  for 
him." 

Before  sunset  the  English  coast  was  visible.  "We 
could  not  have  timed  it  better,"  the  captain  said.  "It 
will  be  getting  dark  before  tbey  can  make  us  out  even 
from  the  cliffs."  Every  sail  was  now  scrutinized  by  the 
captain  through  his  glass,  but  he  saw  nothing  that  looked 
suspicious.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  lugger 
was  within  three  miles  of  the  coast. 


286  I&  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

"Get  ready  the  signal  lanterns,"  the  captain  ordered. 
And  a  few  minutes  later  three  lanterns  were  hoisted,  one 
above  the  other.  Almost  immediately  two  lights  were 
shown  in  a  line  on  the  top  of  the  cliff. 

"There  is  our  answer,"  the  captain  said.  "There  is 
nothing  to  be  done  to-night.  That  means  'The  revenue 
men  are  on  the  lookout;  come  back  to-morrow  night.'  " 

"But  they  are  always  on  the  lookout,  are  they  not?" 
Harry  asked. 

"Yes,"  the  captain  said,  "but  when  our  friends  on 
shore  know  we  are  coming  they  try  to  throw  them  off  the 
scent.  It  will  be  whispered  about  to-morrow  that  a  run 
is  likely  to  be  made  ten  miles  along  the  coast,  and  they 
will  take  care  that  this  comes  to  the  ears  of  the  revenue 
officer.  Then  to-morrow  evening  after  dusk  a  fishing 
boat  will  go  out  and  show  some  lights  two  miles  off  shore 
at  the  point  named,  and  a  rocket  will  be  sent  up  from 
the  cliff.  That  will  convince  them  that  the  news  is  true, 
and  the  revenue  officers  will  hurry  away  in  that  direction 
with  every  man  they  can  get  together.  Then  we  shall 
run  in  here  and  land  our  cargo.  There  will  be  plenty  of 
carts  waiting  for  us,  and  before  the  revenue  men  are  back 
the  kegs  will  be  stowed  safely  away  miles  inland.  Of 
course  things  go  wrong  sometimes  and  the  revenue 
officers  are  not  to  be  fooled,  but  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
we  manage  to  run  our  cargoes  without  a  shot  being  fired. 
Now  I  must  get  off  shore  again. ' ' 

The  orders  were  given,  and  the  Trois  Freres  was  soon 
running  out  to  sea.  They  stood  far  out  and  then  lowered 
the  sails  and  drifted  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when 
they  again  made  sail  for  the  land.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
signal  lights  were  again  exhibited,  and  this  time  the 
answer  was  made  by  one  light  low  down  by  the  water's 
edge. 


IN  TEE  REIQN  OF  TERROR.  287 

"The  coast  is  clear,"  the  captain  said,  rubbing  his 
hands.  "We'll  take  her  in  as  close  as  she  will  go,  the 
less  distance  there  is  to  row  the  better." 

The  Trois  Freres  was  run  on  until  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  shore,  then  a  light  anchor  was  dropped. 
The  two  boats  had  already  been  lowered  and  were  towed 
alongside,  and  the  work  of  transferring  the  cargo  at  once 
began.  -  j 

"Do  you  go  in  the  first  boat,  monsieur,  with  the 
ladies,"  the  captain  said.  "The  sooner  you  are  ashore 
the  better.  There  is  no  saying  ^whether  we  may  not  be 
disturbed  and  obliged  to  run  out  to  sea  again  at  a 
moment's  notice. "  I 

Harry  at  once  handed  him  over  the  amount  promised 
as  payment  for  the  passage.  There  was  a  hearty  good-by 
said  to  Adolphe,  who  was  again  thanked  most  warmly 
for  the  services  he  had  rendered.  Then  Harry  handed 
the  girls  into  the  boat,  which  was  by  this  time  filled 
nearly  to  the  gunwale  with  kegs,  and  in  five  minutes  they 
were  ashore. 

"Thank  God!"  he  exclaimed,  as  after  wading  through 
the  shallow  water  he  stood  on  the  shore,  while  two  of  the 
sailors  carried  the  girls  and  put  them  beside  him. 
"Thank  God,  I  have  got  you  safe,  on  English  soil  at  last. 
I  began  to  despair  at  one  time." 

"Thank  God  indeed,"  Jeanne  said  reverently;  "but  I 
never  quite  despaired,  Harry.  It  seemed  to  me  He  had 
protected  us  through  so  many  dangers,  that  He  must 
mean  that  we  should  go  safely  through  them  all,  and  yet 
it  did  seem  hopeless  at  one  time." 

"We  had  better  stand  on  one  side,  girls,  or  rather  we 
had  better  push  on  up  the  cliff.  These  people  are  all  too 
buey  to  notice  us,  and  you  might  get  knocked  down ; 
beside,  the  coast-guard  might  arrive  at  any  moment,  and 


288  X&  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

then  there  would  be  a  fight.  So  let  us  get  well  away 
from  them." 

But  they  had  difficulty  in  making  their  way  up  the 
cliff,  for  the  path  was  filled  with  men  carrying  up  tubs 
or  coming  down  for  more  after  placing  them  in  the  carts, 
which  were  waiting  to  convey  them  inland.  At  last  they 
got  to  the  top.  One  of  the  carts  was  already  laden,  and 
was  on  the  point  .of  driving  off  when  Harry  asked  the 
man  if  he  could  tell  him  [of  any  farmhouse  near,  where 
the  two  ladies  who  had  landed  with  him  could  pass  the 
night. 

"Master's  place  is  two  miles  away,"  the  man  said; 
"but  if  you  like  ^to  walk  as  far  he  will  take  you  in,  I 
doubt  not." 

The  girls  at  once  agreed  to  the  proposal,  and  in  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  the  cart  drew  up  at  a  farmhouse. 

"Is  it  all  right,  Bill?"  a  man  asked,  opening  the  door 
as  the  cart  stopped. 

"Yes,  it  be  all  right.  Not  one  of  them  revenue  chaps 
nigh  the  place.  Here  be  the  load  of  tubs;  they  was  the 
first  that  came  ashore." 

"Who  have  you  got  here?"  the  farmer  asked  as  Harry 
came  forward  with  the  girls. 

"These  are  two  young  ladies  who  have  crossed  in  the 
lugger,"  Harry  replied.  "They  have  narrowly  escaped 
being  murdered  in  France  by  the  Revolutionists,  and 
have  gone  through  a  terrible  time.  As  they  have  nowhere 
to  go  to-night,  I  thought  perhaps  you  would  kindly  let 
them  sit  by  your  fire  till  morning." 

"Surely  I  will,"  the  farmer  said.  "Get  ye  in,  get  ye 
in.  Mistress,  here  are  two  young  French  ladies  who 
have  escaped  from  those  bloody-minded  scoundrels  in 
Paris.     I  needn't  tell  you  to  do  what  you  can  for  them." 

The  farmer's  wife  at  once  came  forward  and  received 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  289 

^fche  girls  most  kindly.  They  had  both  picked  tip  a  little 
/English  during  Harry's  residence  at  the  chateau,  and 
;  feeling  they  were  in  good  hands  Harry  again,  went  out 
and  lent  his  assistance  to  the  farmer  in  carrying  the  tubs 
down  to  a  place  of  concealment  made  under  the  flooring 
of  one  of  the  barns. 

The  next  day  the  farmer  drove  them  in  his  gig  to  a 
town  some  miles  inland.  Here  they  procured  dresses  in 
which  they  could  travel  without  exciting  attention,  and 
took  their  places  in  the  coach  which  passed  through  the 
town  for  London  next  daj'. 

That  evening  Harry  gently  broke  to  the  girls  the  news 
of  their  brothers'  death,  for  he  thought  that  it  would 
otherwise  come  as  a  terrible  shock  to  them  on  their  arri- 
val at  his  home.  Virginie  was  terribly  upset,  and  Jeanne 
cried  for  some  time,  then  she  said : 

"Your  news  does  not  surprise  me,  Harry.  I  have  had 
a  feeling  all  along  that  you  knew  something,  but  were 
keeping  it  from  me.  You  spoke  so  very  seldom  of  them, 
and  when  you  did  it  seemed  to  me  that  what  you  said 
was  not  spoken  in  your  natural  voice.  I  felt  sure  that 
had  you  known  nothing  you  would  have  often  talked  to 
us  of  meeting  them  in  London,  and  [of  the  happiness  it 
would  be.  I  would  not  ask,  because  I  was  sure  you  had 
a  good  reason  for  not  telling  us;  but  I  was  quite'%ure 
that  there  was  something." 

"I  thought  it  better  to  keep  it  from  you,  Jeanne,  until 
Ifee  danger  was  all  over.  In  the  first  place  you  had  need 
of  all  your  courage  and  strength ;  in  the  next  place  it 
was  possible  that  you  might  never  reach  England,  and  in 
that  case  you  would  never  have  suffered  the  pain  of 
knowing  anything  about  it." 

"How  thoughtful  you  are,  Harry!"  Jeanne  mur- 
mured.    "Oh,   how   much  we  owe   you!     But   oh,  how 


290  -EV  THB  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

strange   and  lonely   we   seem  —  everyone    gone   except 
Marie,  and  we  may  never  see  her  again!" 

"You  will  see  her  again,  never  fear,"  Harry  said  con- 
fidently. "And  you  will  not  feel  lonely  long,  for  I  can 
promise  you  that  before  you  have  been  long  at  my 
mother's  place  you  will  feel  like  one  of  the  family." 

"Yes;  but  I  shall  not  be  one  of  the  family,"  Jeanne 
said. 

"Not  yet,  Jeanne.  But  mother  will  look  upon  you  as 
her  daughter  directly  I  tell  her  that  you  have  promised 
to  become  so  in  reality  some  day." 

Harry's  reception,  when  with  the  two  girls  he  drove  up 
in  a  hackney  coach  to  the  house  at  Cheyne  Walk,  was 
overwhelming,  and  the  two  French  girls  were  at  first 
almost  bewildered  by  the  rush  of  boys  and  girls  who 
tore  down  the  steps  and  threw  themselves  upon  Harry's 
neck. 

"You  will  stifle  me  between  you  all,"  Harry  said,  after 
he  had  responded  to  the  embraces.  "Where  are  father 
and  mother?" 

"Father  is  out,  and  mother  is  in  the  garden.  No, 
there  she  is" — as  Mrs.  Sandwith,  pale  and  agitated,  ap- 
peared at  the  door,  having  hurried  in  when  one  of  the 
younger  ones  had  shouted  out  from  a  back  window : 
"Harry  has  come!" 

"Oh,  my  boy,  we  had  given  you  up,"  she  sobbed  as 
Harry  rushed  into  her  arms. 

"I  am  worth  a  great  many  dead  men  yet,  mother.  \ 
But  now  let  me  introduce  to  you  Mesdemoiselles  Jeanne 
and  Yirginie  de  St.  Caux,  of  whom  I  have  written  to  you 
so  often.  They  are  orphans,  mother,  and  I  have  prom- 
ised them  that  you  and  father  will  fill  the  place  of  their 
parents." 

"That  will  we  willingly,"  Mrs,  Sandwith  said,  turning 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  291 

to  the  girls  and  kissing  them  with  motherly  kindness. 
"Come  in,  my  dears,  and  welcome  home  for  the  sake  of 
my  dear  boy,  and  for  that  of  your  parents  who  were  so 
kind  to  him.  Never  mind  all  these  wild  young  people," 
she  added,  as  the  boys  and  girls  pressed  round  to  shake 
hands  with  the  newcomers.  "You  will  get  accustomed 
to  their  way  presently.     Do  you  speak  in  English?" 

"Enough  to  understand,"  Jeanne  said;  "but  not 
enough  to  speak  much.  Thank  you,  madame,  for  receiv- 
ing us  so  kindly,  for  we  are  all  alone  in  the  world." 

Mrs.  Sandwith  saw  the  girl's  lip  quiver,  and  putting 
aside  her  longing  to  talk  to  her  son,  said : 

"Harry,  do  take  them  all  out  in  the  garden  for  a  short 
time.  They  are  all  talking  at  once  and  this  is  a  perfect 
babel." 

And  thus  having  cleared  the  room  she  sat  down  to  talk 
to  the  two  girls,  and  soon  made  them  feel  at  home  with 
her  by  her  unaffected  kindness.  Dr.  Sandwith  soon 
afterward  ran  out  to  the  excited  chattering  group  in  the 
garden,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  happy  talk  with  him, 
Harry  spoke  to  him  of  the  visitors  who  were  closeted 
with  his  mother. 

"I  want  you  to  make  them  feel  it  is  their  home,  father. 
They  will  be  no  burden  pecuniarily,  for  there  are  money 
and  jewels  worth  a  large  sum  over  here." 

"Of  course  I  know  that,"  Dr.  Sandwith  said,  "seeing 
that,  as  you  know,  they  were  consigned  to  me,  and  the 
marquis  wrote  to  ask  me  to  act  as  his  agent.  The  money 
is  invested  in  stock,  and  the  jewels  are  in  the  hands  of 
my  bankers.  I  had  begun  to  wonder  what  would  become 
of  it  all,  for  I  was  by  no  means  sure  that  the  whole  family 
had  not  perished,  as  well  as  yourself." 

"There  are  only  the  three  girls  left,"  Harry  said. 

"In  that  case  they  will  be  well  off,  for  the  marquig 


292  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

inclosed  me  a  will,  saying  that  if  anything  should' hap- 
pen to  him,  and  the  estates  should  be  altogether  lost,  the 
money  and  proceeds  of  the  jewels  were  to  be  divided 
equally  among  his  children.  You  must  have  gone 
through  a  great  deal,  old  boy.  You  are  scarcely  nine- 
teen, and  you  look  twenty -two  or  three." 

"I  shall  look  young  again,  father,  now  I  have  got  my 
mind  clear  of  anxiety.  But  I  have  had  a  trying  time  of 
it,  I  can  tell  you;  but  it's  too  long  a  story  to  go  into 
now,  I  will  tell  you  all  the  whole  yarn  this  evening. 
I  want  you  to  go  in  with  me  now  to  the  girls  and  make 
them  at  home.  All  this  must  be  just  as  trying  for  them 
at  present  as  the  dangers  they  have  gone  through." 

The  young  ones  were  all  forbidden  to  follow,  and  after 
an  hour  spent  with  his  parents  and  the  girls  in  the 
dining-room,  Harry  was  pleased  to  see  that  the  latter 
were  beginning  to  feel  at  their  ease,  and  that  the  strange- 
ness was  wearing  off. 

That  evening,  before  the  whole  circle  of  his  family, 
Harry  related  the  adventures  that  they  had  gone  through, 
subject,  however,  to  a  great  many  interruptions  from 
Jeanne. 

"But  I  am  telling  the  story,  not  you,  Jeanne,"  he  said 
at  last.  "Some  day  when  you  begin  to  talk  English 
quite  well  you  shall  give  your  version  of  it." 

"But  he  is  not  telling  it  right,  madame, "  Jeanne  pro- 
tested, "he  keeps  all  the  best  part  back.  He  says  about 
the  dangers,  but  he  says  nothing  about  what  he  do  him- 
self." Then  she  broke  into  French,  "No,  madame,  it  is 
not  just,  it  is  not  right;  I  will  not  suffer  the  tale  to  be 
told  so.  How  can  it  be  the  true  story  when  he  says  no 
word  of  his  courage,  of  his  devotion,  of  the  way  he 
watched  over  us  and  cheered  us,  no  word  of  his  grand 
heart,  of  the  noble  way  he  risked  his  life  for  us,  for  our 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  293 

sister,  for  our  parents,  for  all  ?  Oh,  madame,  I  cannot  tell 
you  what  we  all  owe  to  him;"  and  Jeanne,  who  had  risen 
to  her  feet  in  her  earnestness,  burst  into  passionate  tears. 
This  put  an  end  to  the  story  for  the  evening,  for  Mrs. 
Sandwith  saw  that  Jeanne  required  rest  and  quiet,  and 
took  the  two  girls  up  at  once  to  the  bedroom  prepared 
for  them.  From  this  Jeanne  did  not  descend  for  some 
days.  As  long  as  the  strain  was  upon  her  she  had  borne 
herself  bravely,  but  now  that  it  was  over  she  collapsed 
completely. 

After  the  young  ones  had  all  gone  off  to  bed  Harry 
said  to  his  father  and  mother : 

"I  have  another  piece  of  news  to  tell  you  now.  I  am 
afraid  you  will  think  it  rather  absurd  at  my  age,  without 
a  profession  or  anything  else,  but  I  am  engaged  to 
Jeanne.  You  see,"  he  went  on,  as  his  parents  both 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  "we  have  gone 
through  a  tremendous  lot  together,  and  when  people 
have  to  look  death  in  the  face  every  day  it  makes  them 
older  than  they  are ;  and  when,  as  in  this  case,  they  have 
to  depend  entirely  on  themselves,  it  brings  them  very 
closely  together.  I  think  it  might  have  been  so  had 
these  troubles  never  come  on,  for  somehow  we  had  taken 
very  much  to  each  other,  though  it  might  have  been 
years  before  anj'thing  came  of  it.  Her  poor  father  and 
mother  saw  it  before  I  knew  it  myself,  and  upon  the 
night  before  they  were  separated  told  her  elder  sister 
and  brother  that,  should  I  ever  ask  for  Jeanne's  hand, 
they  approved  of  her  marrying  me.  But  although  after- 
ward I  came  to  love  her  with  all  my  heart,  I  should  never 
have  spoken  had  it  not  been  that  I  did  so  when  it  seemed 
that  in  five  minutes  we  should  neither  of  us  be  alive.  If 
it  hadn't  been  for  that  I  should  have  brought  her  home 
aud  waited  till  I  was  making  my  own  way  in  life." 


294  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

!  "I  do  not  blame  you,  Harry,  my  boy,"  his  father  said 
heartily.  "Of  course  you  are  very  young,  and  under 
ordinary  circumstances  would  not  have  been  thinking 
about  a  wife  for  years  to  come  yet;  but  I  can  see  that 
your  Jeanne  is  a  girl  of  no  ordinary  character,  and  it  is 
certainly  for  her  happiness  that,  being  here  with  her 
sister  alone  among  strangers,  she  should  feel  that  she  is 
at  home.  Personally  she  is  charming,  and  even  in  point 
of  fortune  you  would  be  considered  a  lucky  fellow.  What 
do  you  say,  mother?" 

"I  say  God  bless  them  both!"  Mrs.  Sandwith  said 
earnestly.  "After  the  way  in  which  Providence  has 
brought  them  together,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they 
were  meant  for  each  other.  " 

"Do  you  know  I  half-guessed  there  was  something 
more  than  mere  gratitude  in  Jeanne's  heart  when  she 
flamed  out  just  now;  did  not  you,  mother?" 

Mrs.  Sandwith  nodded  and  smiled.  "I  was  sure  there 
was,"  she  said. 

"I  did  not  say  anything  about  it  when  we  came  in," 
Harry  said,  "because  I  thought  it  better  for  Jeanne  to 
have  one  quiet  day,  and  you  know  the  young  ones  will 
laugh  awfully  at  the  idea  of  my  being  engaged." 

"Never  you  mind,  Harry,"  his  father  said;  "let  those 
laugh  that  win.  But  you  are  not  thinking  of  getting 
married  yet,  I  hope." 

"No,  no,  father;  you  cannot  think  1  would  live  on 
Jeanne's  money?" 

"And  you  still  intend  to  go  into  the  army,  Harry?" 

"No,  father;  I  have  had  enough  of  bloodshed  for  the 
rest  of  *my  life.  I  have  been  thinking  it  over  a  good 
deal,  and  I  have  determined  to  follow  your  example  and 
"become  a  doctor." 

"That's  right,  my  boy,"  Dr.   Sandwith  said  heartily. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR.  295 

''I  have  always  regretted  you  had  a  fancy  for  the  army, 
for  I  used  to  look  forward  to  your  becoming  my  right 
hand.  Your  brothers,  too,  do  not  take  to  the  profession, 
so  I  began  to  think  I  was  going  to  be  alone  in  my  old 
age.  You  have  made  me  very  happy,  Harry,  and  your 
mother  too.  It  will  be  delightful  for  us  having  you  and 
your  pretty  French  wife  settle  by  us;  will  it  not, 
mother?" 

"It  will  indeed,"  Mrs.  Sandwith  said  in  a  tone  of 
deep  happiness.  "You  are  certainly  overworked  and 
need  a  partner  terribly,  and  who  could  be  like  Harry?" 

"Yes,  I  have  been  thinking  of  taking  a  partner  for 
some  time,  but  now  I  will  hold  on  alone  for  another 
three  years.     By  that  time  Harry  will  have  passed." 

The  next  morning  the  young  ones  were  told  the  news. 
The  elder  girls  were  delighted  at  the  thought  of  Jeanne 
becoming  their  sister,  but  the  boys  went  into  fits  of 
laughter  and  chaffed  Harry  so  unmercifully  for  the  next 
day  or  two  that  it  was  just  as  well  that  Jeanne  was  up  in 
her  room.  By  the  time  she  came  down  they  had  re- 
covered their  gravity.  Mrs.  Sandwith  and  the  girls  had 
already  given  her  the  warmest  welcome  as  Harry's  future 
wife,  and  the  boys  received  her  so  warmly  that  Jeanne 
soon  felt  that  she  was  indeed  one  of  the  family. 

Three  years  later,  on  the  day  after  Harry  passed  his 
final  examination,  Jeanne  and  he  were  married,  and  set 
up  a  pretty' little  establishment  close  to  Cheyne  Walk, 
with  Virginie  to  live  with  them ;  and  Harry,  at  first  as 
his  father's  assistant,  and  soon  as  his  partner,  had  the 
satisfaction  of  feeling  that  he  was  not  wholly  dependent 
on  Jeanne's  fortune. 

They  had  received  occasional  news  from  Marie.  Victor 
had  steadily  recovered  his  strength  and  memory,  and  as 
soon  as  the  reign  of  terror  had  come  to  an  end,  and  the 


296  IN  TEE  REIGN  OF  TERROR. 

priests  were  able  to  show  themselves"  from  their  hiding- 
places  in  many  an  out-of-the-way  village  in  the  country, 
Marie  and  Victor  were  quietly  married.  But  France  was 
at  war  with  all  Europe  now,  and  Victor,  though  he  hated 
the  Eevolution,  was  a  thorough  Frenchman,  and  through 
some  of  his  old  friends  who  had  escaped  the  wave  of 
destruction,  he  had  obtained  a  commission,  and  joined 
Bonaparte  when  he  went  to  take  the  command  of  the 
army  of  Italy.  He  had  attracted  his  general's  attention 
early  in  the  campaign  by  a  deed  of  desperate  valor,  and 
was  already  in  command  of  a  regiment,  when,  soon  after 
Jeanne's  marriage,  Marie  came  over  to  England  by  way 
of  Holland  to  stay  for  a  time  with  her  sisters.  She  was 
delighted  at  finding  Jeanne  so  happy,  and  saw  enough 
before  she  returned  to  France  to  feel  assured  that  before 
very  long  Virginie  would  follow  Jeanne's  example,  and 
would  also  become  an  Englishwoman,  for  she  and  Harry's 
next  brother  Tom  had  evidently  some  sort  of  under- 
standing between  them.  It  was  not  until  many  years- 
later  that  the  three  sisters  met  again,  when,  after  the  fall 
of  Napoleon,  Jeanne  and  Virginie  went  over  with  their 
husbands  and  stayed  for  some  weeks  with  General  De 
Gisons  and  his  wife  at  the  old  chateau  near  Dijon.  This 
the  general  had  purchased  back  from  the  persons  into 
whose  hands  it  had  fallen  at  the  Eevolution  with  the 
money  he  had  received  as  his  wife's  dowry. 


THE   END, 


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